


Chivalry

by KamronSilverEye



Category: LGBT - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-08-04 09:48:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16344491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KamronSilverEye/pseuds/KamronSilverEye
Summary: The Forth Age. A time of disturbances and uncertainty. A danger is fast approaching...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is originally from Wattpad.

My family is a powerful and well-respected family with many acres of land, and because of that, we are accustomed to the constant presence of knights in our manor or on our farms. My family's surname is Davenward, and my name is Felix Davenward.

Davenward Manor holds many famous knights, but none are more famous than a young knight who's goes by Sir David the Dragonheart. I met the young man on a few occasions, he is intelligent, kind, and charming, like most knights. But Sir David has a quality that most knights don't have, he does not seek riches or fame, he simply wants to help unify the kingdom and help bring peace.  
\--------  
It was a mild, windy Spring day, one week before my eighteenth birthday, when my mother called me, "Felix, for your birthday I'm going to send invitations to all the knights on our lands and Catherine Memore, and our relatives. I'm going to have our tailor come tomorrow to have you fit for your new suit."

"Why are you inviting Catherine? She hates our family and supports the rebellion." I responded as I was studying.

"I think our family can make her see reason. Besides she's the only baroness your age."

"I still don't think you should."

"It's going to be a masquerade. She will not know who she is talking to. We will make sure of that."

"Are you inviting Sir David?"

"I am. I know how fond of him you are."

"Thank you. And why do I need a new suit when I have a perfectly acceptable suit already?" I inquired.

"The last time you were fitted for a suit was a year and six months ago. You have grown quite considerably."

I looked at my clothes, they certainly were tighter. I then got out my chair walked in to my chambers. I walked into my closet to find my suit. When I found my suit I held it up to my self and looked into the looking-glass, my mother was right. My suit was about six inches too short. I walked out of my closet and down the stairs to the den where my mother was still making invitations.

"Was I correct?" My mother asked as I walked into the room.

"You were." I responded.

"Good, the tailor will be here soon."

"You said he would here tomorrow."

"He's currently making a suit for one of the knights. So he can be here today."

"I will studyi-" I started to say as the tailor walked into the room with a knight in tow. That knight was Sir David.

"Good afternoon." The tailor said. Sir David bowed.

The tailor set up his measurement equipment and said, "Undress." I look quizzically at him. "In order to measure you correctly, you have to undress."

I undressed down to my undergarments. The tailor started to measure my arms and head.

"Felix, how are you?" Sir David asked.

"Wonderfully." I said with sarcasm.

"That is good to hear." Sir David said not realizing my sarcasm.

The measurements took quite a while. My arms and legs were stiff for holding them in one position.

_**One week later...** _

I woke up later than I would normally because I wasn't woken up by my mother. I walked down stairs and into the den, content on studying before the party. A few minutes go by when I heard heavy footsteps walking towards the den. I looked over my shoulder to see Sir David walking.

"Good morning, my young lord." Sir David said respectfully. He bowed. "How are your studies?"

"Boring." I responded.

"If they're so boring, come take a stroll with me to fetch our suits."

"Alright." I got up and followed the large knight off of our lands.

"Forgive me, but it seems I have neglected to wish you a happy birthday."

"It's quite alright." Sir David smiled brightly. "Pardon me Sir David, but why do you need a new suit if you are a knight? Surely you have suits already."  
"I do have suits but the last party I went to was three years ago. I would rather not wear my armour to your party."

"Really? Three years?"

"I have been very busy these last few years. Training has been quite stressful." We walked into the tailor's store.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. Sir David, here is your suit." He handed Sir David a blue and gold suit and a matching mask. "Felix, here is your suit." He hands me a purple and black suit and a matching mask. "Farewell."

"I've heard that you do not want Catherine of Memore be at the party. Why is that?" Sir David asked.

"She supports the rebellion and is just generally rude." I responded.

"If you need to, stick to me. Your mother doesn't want a brawl to start."

"Really? She loves brawls. It's quite odd."

"I think she wants to keep everything civil. Which will be quite easy, as there is going to be several knights on hand tonight." We walked on to the farthest acres of our lands. Sir David parted ways with me to go put on his suit. I walked into the mansion and was stopped by my father.

"Felix, where were you?" My father asked.

"I was getting my suit with Sir David." I responded calmly.

"Well, now that you have your suit, go get dressed."

I walked upstairs to my chambers and stripped then got my suit on. I walked back down to see Sir David walk in.  
"Good to see you again." He said smiling. I wasn't used to seeing Sir David without his armor so it was slightly startling. He still carried a sword by his side though.

"Why do you still have your sword on you?" I asked.

"You can never be too careful." He responded as he put on his mask.  
I also put on my mask and walked into the dining room. There were already several guests and my parents sitting,  conversing.

"There he is." My mother said as she hugged me. "Happy Birthday."

"Thank you." I responded.

"Felix, it's been far too long." My aunt said. "How come you do not have a fiancée yet?"

"I...um...haven't met a girl yet." I felt the blood rush from my face.

"Are you alright, Felix?" My mother asked me.

"Yes." I said as I swallowed.

"Are you sure? You look pale."

I nodded. I walked back to the den and sat down.

"Felix?" Sir David said. He sat down next to me. "What's the matter?"

"My aunt's question." I responded quietly. "I've always hated when people ask why do not have a wife or fiancée."

"Why?"

I whispered so my family could not hear it, "I prefer the company of men."

Sir David looked at me quizzically.  
"Company meaning, sexual relations." I still whispered.

"Oh."

"Please keep this quiet."

"I promise I will. But only because I prefer the company of men as well." He said smiling.

I looked at him like he had the head of a dragon. He nodded. I got up and walked back to the dining room.

"Are you alright?" My uncle asked.

"Yes." I said confidently.

Sir David walked in after me, "He's fine. Nerves got to him." He said.

"Nervous? About your party?" My mother asked. I nodded. My mother hugged me. "I'll go get you some water." My mother went to the kitchen.

"Felix, are you going to introduce us?" My cousin asked.

"Oh. This is Sir David the Dragonheart." I said as I gestured to Sir David.

"Just Sir David." He said after he bowed. My mother arrived with a wine glass filled with water.

"Thank you." I said as she handed me the glass. I drank the glass of water and felt a little better afterwards.

"Did it help?" My mother asked. I nodded. "Good. Sir David come and sit down."

Sir David sat down in the chair next to me. "Mrs. Davenward, when will the other guests be arriving?"

"Any moment now." After she said that group of people walked in. "Catherine! It's so wonderful to see that you were able make it." My mother said.

Catherine looked at my mother like she was something she stepped in. "I always go to parties I'm invited to. Being in a manor, with nothing to do but study, is boring."

I looked at her like she said something scandalous. "Felix likes to study. He also likes to go on strolls around the lands with Sir David." I looked at Sir David, he put his gloved finger up to his lips.

"Speaking of Felix, where is he? I would love to see him." Catherine asked.

"I'm not sure." My mother lied.  
I got up and Sir David followed. I felt sick to my stomach. We waited until we were out of sight of everybody to go upstairs. We walked into my chambers. We took off our masks and put them on my wardrobe. "I still can't believe that my mother invited her. Did you see Catherine's face when my mother spoke to her?" I said while pacing, "I cannot-" I was interrupted by Sir David grabbing my hands to keep me from pacing.

"Felix, relax. If she tries anything there are plenty of knights on hand tonight." I looked into David's hazel-green eyes. He let go of my hands and allowed me to walk.

"Do you know how hard it is to relax when a very passionate rebel is on our manor?" I walked to the door. I closed it and locked it.

David grabbed me again, this time by the waist. "My lord needs to relax." David said very close to my face. The heat from his breath made me blush. He kept a strong grip on my waist. We brought our faces closer together.

We heard a knock on the door. "Felix?" My mother asked us. I went to the door, unlocked and opened it. "Felix, I know you do not like Catherine but-" She started to say until she saw Sir David standing behind me. "Hello, Sir David. Felix, why is this knight in your chambers?"

"He's helping me to bring my nerves under control." I said.

"Why are you so nervous? If you think Catherine will start a brawl, I will make sure everything stays civil."

"I know. But just because she stays civil, does not mean she will after she had some drinks." I said. "I'll be down there in a little while."

"Alright." My mother said while walking out.

I closed the door behind her and locked it again. I walked to Sir David. David said, "Felix, We cannot risk getting caught. I will lose my knightship and your family will lose their lands." He said while putting his arms around my waist again. "I think we should-" I cut him off by kissing him.

"I thought a knight would be a little braver." I said flirtatiously. I brought my face closer to his again.

"I'm braver than you think, my lord." David said. He placed his forehead against mine. "I think we should get back to the party, my lord." David let go of my waist.

"I'll be down in a moment." I said. He bowed. He put on his mask and went downstairs. I walked into the washroom. I looked in the looking-glass. My face was flushed. I took some water out of the pool next to me and wet my face. The cool water helped me to calm down a little. I dried my face and walked out. I put my mask on and walked back to the dining room. There was more guests than there was before. I took my seat next to Sir David. He was drinking wine and everytime he took a sip, he grimaced. "Sub-par wine?" I asked quietly.

"I don't drink alcohol. I find it repulsive." He responded quietly.

"If you don't drink alcohol, then why are you drinking wine?"

"Your mother. She said even if I don't drink, she wants me to have a least one glass. She said it will help me be less stiff. But, if anyone need loosening up, it is you." Sir David said.

My mother walked up to me with a glass of wine, "Here you go, Felix."

"Thank you." I said. I took a sip. I understood why Sir David was grimacing, the wine was repulsive. "Ugh. This wine is disgusting. I understand you have that look on your face."

"Drink it. It will help you relax." David said. I took the glass and drank all of it. I shuttered. Sir David shook his head. "I said drink it, not inhale it."

I chuckled. "I needed to get rid of it."  
Sir David shrugged. He also drank all of his wine. He grimaced again. "That was repulsive. How does your family drink that?"

"We usually have better wine than that." I said. Just as I was about to talk, someone jerked me around.

"So that's where you were." Catherine said.

"Hello Catherine. How's the party?" I asked.

"Alright. How does your family live in a manor this small? This is half the size of my family's manor."

"We don't need that much land to live. I'm my parent's only child." I responded calmly. "You have several other siblings."

She turned around and walked away.  
"That conversation was odd." Sir David said.

"Quite."

**_Several hour later..._ **

The party started to wind down late in the night. The only people who were left were Sir David, our family, and two very drunk knights. I yawned. "I think it's time to sleep." I said to Sir David. I walked to my chambers and stripped down. I heard knock on my door. I opened it. It was Sir David.

"Did you think you would be rid of me that easily, my lord?" He walked in, closed and locked the door. He pulled me into an embrace. He leaned his forehead on mine. I could smell alcohol on his breath.

"David, do you think this is the right time for this? My family's here."

"They are not at the present." He said slightly slurred. "Your family's going back to their manor. Your parents wanted me to tell that they would not be home for two days." He kissed me. I kissed back. We broke away.

David threw sword in the corner. He took off his clothes and threw them in the corner as well. He pushed me into bed. He started to straddle me. "I'm yours."

 ** _Next_** **_morning.._**.

I woke the next morning slightly hungover. I also woke with a muscular knight on me. I prodded David awake."David, wake up."

He grunted and mumbled several times. "What?" He looked at me, "Oh, shit." He got off of me. "Sorry, my lord." He rubbed his head.

"Hungover?"

He nodded and laid down next to me. I looked at the clock. It said 9 o'clock. I got up and went in to the washroom. I fixed my hair and wet my face. I also filled a bowl and brought it to Sir David. I put it down on the bedside table. I wet a towel and put it on his forehead. "Better?" David nodded. "What happened to not drinking last night?"  
David chuckled. "Your mother, she kept giving me wine and I did not want to tell a woman no."

"Well, now you're hungover. But don't worry I'll take care of you." I said.  
David smiled. "That's good news."


	2. Chapter 2

After tending to Sir David for a little while I got dressed that way if any servants came up I would be at least somewhat decent. I put on my usual attire and walked out of the closet. When I looked up Sir David was getting dressed as well. "Feeling better?" I asked.

He shrugged and said, "Not really, but figured I should get out of your chambers before a servant comes up." He was mostly dressed when we heard a knock on the door. We looked at each other with looks of worry and panic. I walked to the door and opened it slightly. Leo, my servant, was at the door. I opened the door more to talk to him.

"Good morning, my lord."

"Hello, Leo. What's the matter?"

"I simply wished to see if you were alright. It's much later than you usually wake up."

"I'm fine, Leo. Last night just was exhausting."

"Good. Your parents won't be back for a few days. They're taking your family back to their manor."

"Thank you, Leo. But I've been told already. My parents sent up a knight last night to tell me."

"Is that so? Well, I shall take my leave. My lord." He bowed walked down the stairs.

I sighed and closed the door. I leaned against it with my head in my hands. "David, I'm not sure if this will work. I'm a noble. I have too many people constantly following me and eavesdropping on everything I say. And as you saw last night, my mother really wants me to marry Catherine." I stood up fully and looked at Sir David. "If we get caught and the House learns what happened, we'll be executed. Not that I believe everything they do and say." I looked at the religious symbol on my wall. I'm certainly not as religious as my parents. "David?" He looked at me with a look of concern. "Do you consider yourself Markovin? I know you're a knight but Sir Machias is not Markovin or even religious for that matter. But I digress."

He had a look like he didn't know the answer. "I know Sir Machias. He is a very intelligent man. We've talked about his religious beliefs before. I agree with what he said. He said that he is actually is Markovin, he simply does not believe in the House. Also, the things Sir Machias studies would be considered heresy, so he can't be a part of the House anyway. So to answer your question, I am Markovin to an extent." He looked at me. He walked up to me and pulled me into a hug. "Felix, trust me, if we need to we'll live our lives on the run. I won't let anything happen to you." He let go of the hug. "I should get going. I'll be back in a little while, I promise." We walked downstairs to see the drunk knights from last night waking up. "Sir Benjamin, how are you feeling?" David asked one of the knights.

Sir Benjamin grunted. "Horrible." He tried to stand up. Sir David walked over to help him. "Thanks. Say, what are you still doing here?"

"I came over a little while ago." Sir David lied. He looked over at the other knight. "Sir John, how are you feeling?"

"Probably better than Sir Benjamin." He rubbed his forehead. "But I think that Sir Benjamin and I should get moving. We've overstayed our welcome."

"You're more than welcome to stay until you're feeling better." I said.

"That's quite alright. I'm more comfortable in my own home." Sir John bowed. They both got up and walked out. They shook hands with Sir David and left.

Sir David waited until they left to walk out. I ran out after him. He heard my footstep and said, "Felix I told you I would be back in a little while."

"I know but I wanted to see where you lived." I said. We walked in relative silence to David's home.

"I know it's not much." It was a small house with a small farm and a pen with animals inside. David took a piece of parchment with knife in it off the door.

"What's with the note?"

"I put it up went I'm not in." He said while unlocking the door. We walked in. There was a small table, a fireplace, an oven, and a bookcase. David walked over to an armor stand. "Excuse me for a moment." He walked into a another room. I went to the bookcase. A lot of the books in a David's collection would be burned if the House got their hands on them. Except for one. The Duality Tome. The holy book of Markovin. I took the Tome out of the bookcase and sat at the table. I started to read the Passage of Darkness. After a few minutes, David walked out clad in full armor. I looked up. He was adjusting a clasp on his gauntlet. David looked at me. He chuckled. "Found some time to read?"

"I was surprised that you would have the Tome in completion. The only people who have the whole Tome are clerics and nobles."

He chuckled, "Some knights are given whole Tome. Mostly, high ranking or knights who can't fight anymore due to serious injury."

"You're high ranking, I'm assuming."

"Not exactly. The knight who trained me gave that. He wanted me to study it. But, he died a few days later." David said, still adjusting the clasp on his gauntlet. David stopped fiddling with the clasp and put his sword in its sheath.

"Why are you wearing your full armor?"

"I have patrolling duty."

"Patrolling duty? We don't have patrolling duty."

"Not officially. The knights take turns going around the perimeter of your lands. We think of it as a way of thanking your family for their hospitality. The armor makes sure that any criminals know they're in trouble. I'd ask you to help but, I'd rather not be the reason you get injured."

"I know how to use a sword."

"But have you fought anyone?"

"Once."

"Fine. You can help." David said with a sigh. He went into a chest and pulled out a sword and sheath. "Be careful. This is the sharpest sword I own.

  
We out to his stable. He saddled his horse and then saddled my horse. I walked to the horse's side. David helped me get on the horse.

"Why are these horses so tall?" I asked.

"These are war horses. They're taller than the horses you ride. They can also be temperamental."

We started to ride toward the edge of the manor. "How long does it take to go around?"

"An hour or two." We rode for a little while when we reached the forested edge. "This is the my least favorite part of the ride. There can be so many bandits in this forest." David said nervously.

We rode past the forest when we heard rustling. David got off his horse and gestured to do so as well. I got off the horse and drew my sword. We approached the shrub that was rustling. As we approached the shrub, a bandit jumped out from behind it. "Well, well. Ya brought backup, knight? I thoughts you was the strongest knight in the land." The bandit cackled. "Excepts you ain't looking like much backup, boy...Wait, you looks like one of the nobles." The bandit had a look of excitement on his face. "Oh, I'm gonna has a fun time with you's two."

David drew his sword. He pointed it at the bandit. "Don't you dare touch Felix. It's my duty to protect him."

David swung at the bandit. The bandit blocked the swing and knocked the sword out of David's hand. The bandit laughed loudly. The bandit grabbed David's sword. "This will be a nice prize. For when I's kill ya." He swung at me. I blocked the swing. "So, the pampered mutt knows some moves." The bandit moved toward me. "If we's gonna fight, let's fight." I swung at the bandit, slicing his arm. He grunted. In retaliation, he swung wildly. He just missed. While he was recovering, I sliced at his chest. He was gouged deeply. "Looks like the end fer me. But marks my mines word, mine comrades will avenge me." The bandit fell.

I drove my sword through his chest. I grabbed David's sword and threw it to him. "When did you learn how to fight?" David asked me.

"Being an only child, I had to pick up a few tricks. And it just comes naturally to me." I sheathed my sword and jumped back on my horse.

David did the same. The rest of the patrol was uneventful. When we got to David's home, David said, "Maybe you should've been a knight." He removed the heaviest parts of his armor and placed them on the stand.

"I'm not cut out to be a knight. I'm more of scholar." I said, standing by the door.

  
"You'd make a better knight than some people I know." He chuckled. We started to walk back to the manor. We saw a carriage pass us.

"That was a House carriage. That's not a good sign."

"What do you mean?"

"The House only comes to noble houses if they need more knights. And that means they're getting for war. They're either looking for your father or you."

  
We quickened our pace toward the manor. When we got to the front door, there was a man standing there arguing with one of our servants.

"...What do you mean neither of them are here?"

"Lord Davenward is not here. Felix is with Sir David the Dragonheart." The servant looked over the man's shoulder. "Actually, it seems Felix is back." He gestured in our direction.

The man turned around. "Ah, Good Afternoon, Sir David." Sir David bowed. "And it's very nice to finally meet you, Felix."

"Who are you, exactly?"

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Head Cleric Geoffrey."

"That's just an honorary title. Geoffrey is actually a knight. You can call him Sir Geoffrey." David said.

"Yes, you can."

"Sir Geoffrey, why are you here? The king isn't planning war, is he?"

"I'm afraid so. And we just don't have enough people like you, Sir David, joining our ranks. I was hoping either Lord Davenward or Felix would be willing to join." Sir Geoffrey looked in my direction.

"I would gladly join but my parents would have to know. And they aren't supposed to be back for a few days."

Sir Geoffrey looked to my side, "Surely, that isn't your sword, Felix."

"No, it's David's. I was helping him patrol the borders of my family's land." I drew the sword.

"Did you kill somebody?"

"A bandit."

Sir Geoffrey had a look like he was thinking of something. "I have an idea. How about a sparring match between the two of us? We wouldn't using actual swords, of course."

I looked at Sir David. He nodded his head. "Sure."

He gestured to a man next to the carriage and he brought out two swords. "These swords are very dull and blunt." He handed me the sword. It was very plain. I handed David his sword. The three of us walked to the unused sparring arena. The servants unlocked the gate. "On my count, One...Two...Three"

Sir Geoffrey lunged towards me. I parried and swung at him. I hit him in arm. "Good..." He lunged again. I blocked, disarmed him and shoved him to the ground. "Excellent, Felix." He stood up and dusted himself off. "You fight very well. Have you been teaching him, Sir David?"

David shook his head and said, "No, I haven't."

"Just a naturally good fighter, Felix?" I shrugged. "Humble as well as an excellent warrior. I don't think you would need much training."

Just as Sir Geoffrey finished another carriage rode up. My parents.

  
As soon as they got out, they ran towards the three of us.   
"Felix, who is this?" My father asked.

"I am Head Cleric, Sir Geoffrey. I am in need of new recruits. Your son is a very gifted warrior, Lord Davenward."

"Is that so? Felix, where did you learn to fight?"

"I didn't. Sword fighting comes naturally to me."

My mother looked worried. "Felix, are you sure you want to?"

"Lady Davenward, Felix doesn't need much training. He's probably the best recruit we've had since Sir David." I thought about it for a few minutes. It would be better than doing nothing. But I risk dying. "What do you think, Felix? If you say yes then I'll bring you and Sir David back with me."

Sir David looked at him, "Why am I going with you?"

"You would train him."

"Yes, I'll go with you."


	3. Chapter 3

_**The screenshot contains information about the world of Chivalry.**_  
**_\--------------_**  
"Felix, are you sure? If you do come with me, you won't see your family for a while." Sir Geoffrey said.

"Yes, I can do more good for the kingdom on the battlefield than I can sitting here and studying." I said.

"Okay, we will set off immediately. Say goodbye, Felix. Sir David and I will go collect his things."

Sir Geoffrey and David started to head towards David's home."I guess this is goodbye." I said to my parents.

"I guess so." My father said. "I know you will do what's good for kingdom." He hugged me.

My mother hugged me with tears in her eyes. "Be safe, Felix." She kissed on the cheek.

"I will, I promise." I said. My parents went inside while I waited for Sir Geoffrey and David to come back. They came back with David's chest. "Need help?" I asked them.

"We got it." Sir Geoffrey said.

"Why are you bringing David's chest?"

"You know what's in the chest, Felix." David said. "Basically, everything I own." They hauled the chest up on the carriage and tied it down. We got in the carriage and headed towards the capital.

**_One week later.._ ** **_.8_ ** _**pm.** _

When we finally got to the capital, it was a major culture shock. It was completely different than the manor. The capital of Veritwall is very lively while the manor is very quiet.

"I take you've never been to the capital, Felix?" Sir Geoffrey asked.

"I don't think I have."

I followed the knights to a small fortress. "Who goes there?" A knight asked.

"It's Sir Geoffrey and Sir David, with a new recruit." Geoffrey said. The gate opened. The knights saluted Sir Geoffrey. "General." Geoffrey said to a man with a cigar in his mouth.

"Sir Geoffrey, it's been awhile since you've been here. Same with you Sir David. What brings you here?"

"We have a new recruit. Felix Davenward. Felix, this is General Graham Ellsworth." We shook hands.

"Davenward? You're a noble?"  
I nodded.

"He's extremely skilled as well."

"I'll be the judge of that. Follow me, Davenward." I followed the General to a ring. Geoffrey and David did as well. "This is where we will test your mettle." The General said. "We'll get you fitted with some practice armor and a practice sword." He snapped his fingers and several knights showed up. "Bring Davenward to the armorsmith get fitted."

"Yes sir." The knights beckoned me to follow them.

I followed them to an armorsmith. "Seems the knights' needs never end. How can I help you today?"

"Our new recruit here, needs practice armor."

"Of course. Follow me." I followed the smith. "Come here." He started to measure me. "You're a tall one. About 2 metres (6 ft 6 in) tall. You're also quite muscular for a noble. Undress." Once I removed everything but my underclothes, the smith started to place armor on me. "There you go." I walked out the knights.

"Now that you're fitted, it's time for your sparring match." One of the knights said. As we walked back I realised how difficult it was to walk in armor. I almost tripped over myself several times. "Walking issues?" I nodded. "Happens a lot. The armor is heavier than it seems." The female knight said.

"How old are you, lad?" Another knight said.

"I just turned eighteen." I said.

"Eighteen? You look older than eighteen. And ain't that a little late to start knighthood?"

"Not really, Timothy. The king is building the army for war." The female knight said. "And according to Geoffrey, this one is skilled. Geoffrey's almost never wrong."

When we got back to the fortress, the General said, "There's a knight in the making. Now, if you are as skilled as Geoffrey says, you can skip the five years of training. Very few knights have ever been allowed that. One of them is standing with us." David waved. "Your sparring partner will be Sir Timothy."

"Ready, lad? I'm not going to go easy on ya." We walked in the ring. We were thrown swords. "Nice catch."

"On my count, One...Two...Three." The General said.

We started to spar. After five minutes, I managed to disarm Sir Timothy twice and knock him down four times. "You're a good fighter, lad." Timothy said as the match finished.

"Sir Geoffrey was right. You're definitely knight material. And as General of the royal army, I grant you permission to skip training. Unless you want to train, of course. But, I think that would be a waste of time. We need knights like you and David on our front line. We'll get you fitted for full armor tomorrow. Right now, Sir David will show you to the barracks."

David and I walked to the barracks. "You did very well. Sir Timothy isn't a knight you want to fight. He's probably one of our best. Other than me, of course." David said. We entered the barracks. "Looks like my bed's still here." The beds had names on them. David's said, "Sir David the Dragonheart", 'the Dragonheart' seemed to be carved crudely.

"Do any of the knights even call you Dragonheart?" I asked.

"Some of the recruits do. I guess fame will do that. Yours is right there." He pointed to a bed with no name on it. "It's not as comfortable as your noble bed. But I think you'll manage."

I sat down. Servants carrying a chest walked in and placed it next to David. "Looks like my chest is here." He took a key from around his neck and unlocked it. He set up his armor stand and took off the heaviest of his armor. I looked into the chest. He apparently emptied his entire bookshelf into the chest. There were some letters as well.

There was an armor stand next to my bed, as well. I started to remove my armor and placed it on the stand. It was much heavier than it looked. "How the hell do knights wear that armor?"

"Most knights wear the bare minimum. The only time they wear full armor, is during times of war. I wear most of my armor except the heaviest parts." He yawned as he finished his sentence. "I think it's time for sleep." He continued to remove his armor and placed it on the stand. Other knights soon started to walk in and do the same. I fell asleep quickly.

_**Some time later...** _

I woke up a while later from a nightmare . I was drenched in sweat. I sat up and looked out the window. It was almost midnight. I put my boots on and quietly walked outside.  I walked to the stone barricade at the edge of the fort and leaned on it. I looked out at the ocean. The night was warm and breezy.  I inhaled the salty sea air. I ruffled my hair. It was still slicked with sweat. There were footsteps behind me. I looked behind me to see General Ellsworth. He seemed restless but also peaceful. "Evening, sir."

"Davenward, what brings you out here?" He said quietly.

"I woke up a few minutes ago. I thought I might as well go outside than stay in the barracks. It's rather stuffy in there."

"Nightmare? Or did you just wake up?"

"Nightmare. I get them sometimes."

"I could tell you had a nightmare. You're drenched in sweat." He gestured to my shirt. I heard more footsteps behind us. "Good evening, David."

"Good evening, sir. Evening, Felix." He looked at me. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I had a nightmare." David looked concerned. I shook my head. "Why are you awake?"

"I don't get a lot of sleep here. The barracks aren't a great place to sleep. General, do we have a date for the formal declaration of war?"

"Not yet. But the king said if the rebels continue the way they are, it'll be very soon." The General wiped his face. "If he does declare war, many lives will be lost on both sides." He had a worried expression when he turned to me, "Felix, what do you know about the rebellion?"

"A wealthy noble said the king is tyrannical and isn't supporting the nobility. Apparently, a lot of nobles thought that so, they gathered an army and started to cause chaos."

"Now, your family supports the king, right?"

"Both sides of my family do. The Davenwards and the Everards."

"What made them side with the king?"

"The only nobility in my family are the Davenwards. And even they weren't always nobles. My family are second generation nobles. And many of the other nobles resent my grandparents because they made their own fortune. So they know what can happen if the rebel nobility win."

"What about you? I know you're young and may not really care but..."

"I'm here, aren't I? If the kingdom is peaceful, then it benefits everybody." I yawned and stretched.

"I think it's time for you to go back to sleep. We can't have tired knights with war on the horizon." I nodded and walked back to the barracks. I sat down and took of my boots. I laid back and instantly fell asleep.

_**\-------------** _

I was shaken awake by a knight. "Come on, recruit. It's time to get you completely fitted."

I rubbed my eyes and looked out the window. It seemed to be an hour past dawn. I put my armor on and walked out of the barracks. The General gestured towards me, "Feeling alright, Davenward?" I nodded. "Good. We need to finish getting you fitted."

We walked back to the armorsmith. "Ah, Good morning, General."

"Morning, Gerald. Our new recruit needs full armor."

"I see. Follow me, recruit." I walked back into the smithy. "Now, you're a knight. So you need armor for war. Helmet, greaves, gauntlets, all of it. With your size it might take a little bit." Gerald started to measure my head and placed a helmet on it. After fifteen minutes, Gerald was finally finished. "There you go. Time to get the General's approval."

We walked out to the General. "Now you look like proper knight. Good job, once again."

When we got back to the fortress, David was waiting for us, "You actually look like a knight, Felix. How's the armor?"

"Heavy." I said taking off my helmet.

"You'll get used to it."

"Felix, it's now time to get you equipped." General Ellsworth said. We walked to the armory. "Now how do you want to fight? Two-handed, sword and shield, or dual-wielding?"

"Um..."

"You have no idea, do you?" General Ellsworth chuckled. "With the way you fight, I suggest that you dual-wield." He handed me two swords. "These swords are slightly shorter than normal longswords. It's so they are easier to use."

I attached the two sheaths to my belt and walked out of the armory. "So General Ellsworth's got you dual-wielding?" David asked. "Have fun with that. Dual-wielding is probably the hardest fighting style to master."


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you mean?" I asked David.

"Dual-wielding is probably the worst style in the world." David responded. General Ellsworth came out of the armoury. "You've really got Felix dual-wielding? Why? Are you trying to get him killed?!"

"David listen, I know most people who dual-wield end up missing limbs. But I don't think Davenward will end up like that."

"Missing limbs?" I asked.

"Most of our soldiers who dual-wielded ended missing a leg or an arm." The General said. "But, they were some of the roudiest, most disrespectful soldiers I've the displeasure of knowing. They didn't take the soldier's life seriously."

"But how did they lose limbs?"

"Poor blocking. So, on another note." The General climbed a ladder on top of the armoury. He started to shout, "All knights please gather around the armoury." He waited a few minutes. "Many of you have been asking about the formal declaration of war. It seems that early this morning, the king has issued the declaration. We will soon be moving to Fort Asykl. There will be five new officers. Sir David the Dragonheart. Sir Timothy of Raskal. The newly knighted, Sir Felix Davenward. Sir Riley of Morive. And finally Lady Lika of Sirtell. Congratulations." The General climbed down.

"Why am I an officer?" I asked.

"Davenward, officers merely lead the marches. You'll be fine. As for David, I thought it was high time for one of the most famous knights in the kingdom to become an officer." He clapped David on the shoulder.

"I still don't understand why." I said.

"We don't have enough knights that have a high enough skill to be officers. We'll find out if you do." He started to shout again, "Oh, Also, start packing up your things, we'll be moving out at dusk." He finished and walked back to his quarters.

"Come on, Felix." David said as we started to walk back to barracks.

"Please, don't tell me you're bringing your trunk." I asked.

"No, no need to. I carry all of my armour and weapons on me." He started to put all of his armor on. "Your stand can stay here." He said, putting his gauntlets on. "Don't look so worried. Officers ride horses next to the knights." He said while clapping me on the shoulder.

_**Dusk...** _ _**8 pm** _

"All knights to the front of the fort." General Ellsworth shouted. "It's time we leave and start to head for Fort Asykl. It will take at least a week. Make sure that all your possessions that you are taking you are on the carriages. Please board your assigned carriage, the newly appointed officers are riding with me." The four other officers and I boarded the General's carriage. The carriage started to move. General Ellsworth handed us pieces of parchment. "These are who you're bunking with. Davenward and David. Riley and me. Timothy and Lika."

"Sir, are you ever going to call me by my first name?" I asked.

"Probably not, most nobles are known by their last names. So, most people will know the Davenwards, not a knight named Felix. Besides, Sir Davenward doesn't sound that bad."

I started to change the subject, "David, I never asked you, where are you from?"

"I'm from a small village in the middle of nowhere. My parents didn't want me to be a knight. So at sixteen, I left and headed to the closest fort. I asked the guards at the gate if I could join. They humoured me. I don't know why. At sixteen, I was just over one and a half meters tall, **_(about 5 ft 5),_** and was the scrawniest person. I guess I showed promise." He shrugged.

**_8 days later..._ **

We finally reached the fort after eight days. "All knights head to their assigned quarters. Officers with me." We walked to General Ellsworth's office. "Alright. So, the rebels are moving to Veritwall, but they're on the other side of the kingdom. So, the king wants us to stop them before they get there. We're getting reinforcements in a few days. The reinforcements are basic soldiers and archers. Until then, we are to hold the fort. Anyone who approaches the fort is to be arrested and put in the dungeons for questioning. I will relay this information to the posted guards. You five are to make sure all the knights and all the soldiers stay in line. When the reinforcements come, the guards will yell for us. Go to your quarters. Dismissed."

The five of us walked to our assigned quarters. David and I walked in ours. It was basic with beds and a desk. David yawned. "Tired?" I asked him.

He nodded while saying, "Maybe I'll actually get some sleep." He pushed our beds closer together and started to remove his armour. I did the same. I laid down and promptly fell asleep.  
-  
"Felix!" David ran up to me. "Your parents have joined the rebels. Your father's currently marching towards the fort." He hugged me, "I'm sorry. I know that's the last thing you wanted to have happen." We walked out to the road outside the fort to join the others.

Tears started to form when I saw my father marching. There was about twenty of them. They stopped in front of us. "Felix..." My father started to say.

I shushed him. "You're the enemy now... I'm sorry..." I drew my sword and everyone else followed. "Take as many prisoners as possible!" I felt everyone's gaze turn towards me. "You heard me. Charge!" We ran towards the lines of soldiers.

I started to fight my father. We locked swords, "You don't have to do this, Felix"

"It's for the good of the kingdom, father. I'm sorry." I overpowered him and disarmed him. I tied his hands and legs together. I lifted him and threw him to the guards waiting to collect the prisoners. We killed most of them and took a few prisoners. I was put in charge of questioning my father. "Why?" I slammed my hands on the table.

He hesitated, "I don't know. I know that's not the answer you want to hear." He paused, "They promised your mother and I, that if we rebelled, they would leave us alone. I'm sorry, Felix. I just wanted a peaceful life." His voice started shaking, "If I get executed, tell your mother I love her. But please, leave her out of this."

I sighed and sat down on the chair backwards. "Dad, listen, this is what's probably going to happen. You'll be tried for treason. What happens after is anyone's guess." I said, surprisingly calmly. "I love you, dad." I untied his hands.

He stood up and hugged me tightly. "I love you too." He started crying.

"Come on. Let's head back to your cell." He let go and walked with me.

I started to unlock the cell when General Ellsworth walked in, "Davenward." We both turned towards him. "Sorry. Felix, I have bad news. The leader says your father started this."

I looked at my father. He was tearing up again. He whispered, "Those bastards..."

"It's seems we have to execute him. We're also executing the others as well. I'm sorry." He lead my father outside. I lagged behind them. David was waiting for me. He wrapped his arm around me and walked me towards the executioner. "Before you is a traitor to this kingdom. Lord Thaddeus Davenward, husband of Lady Cassandra Davenward and father of Sir Felix Davenward. He stands accused of treason, conspiracy, and attempted murder. The punishment is death. Lord Davenward, do you have any last words?"

"Yes. Felix, I'm sorry."

He made my father kneel in front of the block. He placed his head on block. "Felix, look away." The executioner raised his axe but it never hit.  
-  
I woke with a jump. I sprang forwards so forcefully, I woke up David. "Felix, what happened?" I was so shocked I couldn't speak. I started to rock back and forth. I threw my legs over the side of the bed. I leaned over and put my head in my hands. "Felix, tell me what happened."

"Nnn...night...mare."

David sat next to me and started to rub my back. "What happened?"

I tried to stabilize my speech, "My...father joined the rebels. They... tr-tried to attack the f-fort. He w-was arrested and t-tried for t-treason. H-he was ex-executed."

"Felix, it was just a dream."

"No, you don't understand. All of my nightmares become true."

"What was the other nightmare you had at the barracks?"

"You were severely injured in battle." 


	5. Chapter 5

"Wait, What?"

"All...of...my...nightmares... become...true. The one at the barracks was horrific. You lost almost all of your limbs. It was...disgusting." I said slowly, still rocking. "It's never exactly the same. But..."

"Felix, in all of the battles I've been in, I've never been injured."

I laid back down. David stood up and completely pushed the beds together. He laid down and pulled me closer to him. I fell asleep.

_**Morning...** _

I woke up a few hours after dawn. David was already awake when I woke up. He was writing at the desk in the corner. I stood up and stretched. "Good morning, Felix."

I was startled when he said that. I looked over and he was sitting towards the door. "Morning." I rubbed my forehead. I started to put my armour on.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, getting up from the chair.

"Tired."

"I didn't realise at the time, but when you had your nightmare it was dawn. I've been up since then."

"I didn't mean to keep you up."

"I know. I slept well for once. I still would've woken up at dawn."

After I finished putting my armor on, I opened the door. David and I walked out. The other officers came up to us.  
"You alright, lad?" Timothy said.

"I'm tired is all." I responded. "Too much movement over the last few weeks."

"I understand. It happens to a lot of recruits."

"The day we walked to the armorsmith, I knew you would end up as a officer, Felix." Lika said. "You seemed more put together than most knights. I think we should take in more nobles after this."

The five of us walked to our patrols.  
Sir Riley walked with David and I. "I don't think I've formally introduced myself. I'm Sir Riley." He said to me. "Believe it or not, I'm of noble birth as well. My family are the Mores." He seemed suspicious. He was too arrogant about his birth.

"Aren't the Mores rebels?" I asked.

"I'm not. My family is. I was knighted a few years before the rebellion. They tried to convince me to rebel as well. But I am bound to the knight's service. I can't leave even if I wanted to. None of us can. You're in for life or death or injury."

David and I tried to finish our patrol as quickly as possible. When we got back to the fort, we started to walk the ramparts. "Is it me, or is Sir Riley really suspicious? It seems like you shouldn't be that proud of your family when they're rebels and you're a knight."

"Sir Riley has always had a cavalier attitude. But when the rebellion began he actually became less arrogant. Today, he seems more than usual."

"Maybe, he wants to prove he's better than me..."

We talked for a while longer. We were approached by a soldier. "General Ellsworth would like to see you two in his quarters." The soldier saluted us and walked back.

We walked to the General's quarter. We knocked on the door, "Come in." We walked in. "I have a question for you two. You two are close, that I can tell. But is it more than friendship or brotherhood, I wonder. If it is, don't worry I'm not a religious man. But, the way you act is a red flag. You tend walk very close to each other, often one bumping to the other. Also, you two are touchy with each other. You're also just together a lot. But if you two get caught by somebody other than me, there will be hell to pay. But now I'm rambling, so, I'm asking directly, are you guys together?"

We looked at one another, not knowing what to say. "Kind of." David said, finally.

"Kind of? What does 'kind of' mean, in this case?"

"It's been like three weeks since anything happened." David said.

"Ah. There's the answer I needed. Sorry, if this seemed personal. It was brought to my attention by a lookout. No one else will know about this. Everything's staying the same. I just needed an answer. Dismissed." He turned around and looked at the war table. Just as we opened the door, he said, "Also, be safe."

We walked our quarters. David sat at the desk and start to write. "I need to tell my parents."

"Tell your parents, what exactly?"

"What do you think?" He said sarcastically.

"Why are you telling them about us?"

"Because they won't care. They're proud of me no matter what. At least, I hope they still are..."

I left David alone and walked to the front gate. "Sir." The guards saluted me.

"You don't have to salute me."

"It's a formality, sir. All guards are required to salute the higher-ups." One guard said.

"Why are you here, sir?" The other guard said.

"Boredom-" I didn't finish the sentence. Someone came running up to the fort. "Halt! Come any closer and we'll have to arrest you." I commanded. He still ran towards us. He was wearing a mask.

"Help...me..."

"Guards." The guards grabbed him and tried his hand together. "Bring him to the dungeons. I'll tell General Ellsworth." I ran to his office and knocked on the door.

"Come in." I pulled the door. "Felix? What happened?"

"We have a new prisoner, sir."

"What?"

"Someone approached us."

"Was he sent to the dungeons?"

"Yes."

"You and Timothy are in charge of interrogation. He's just returned."

"Yes sir." I walked out and towards Sir Timothy's quarters. I knocked on the door.

Sir Timothy opened the door. "What do need, lad?"

"We been put in charge of interrogation. We have a new prisoner."

"Let's go then."

The two of us walked to the dungeon. The two guards approached us. "Sirs. He's not speaking. But from what we can tell he is a rebel."

"We'll take it from here. Go back to your posts." Timothy said.

"Yes sir."

"So not talking are, ya? The General has given us permission to use force when interrogating. So unless you want to leave with missing fingers, I suggest you talk."

"Fuck. You." He spat in Timothy's face.

Timothy wiped his face, grabbed a heavy mallet and grabbed the prisoner's hand. He untied it and placed it on the table. "I'll ask again. Are ya going to talk?" He remained silent. Timothy smashed the mallet into his hand. He screamed. "How about now?" But still he remained silent. "Alright." He did it again.

"Get him to stop." He said to me.

"Talk and he will."

"Never."

"Then he'll continue."

Timothy grabbed the prisoner's other hand and placed it on the table. "I think twice more will make him talk. And if it doesn't, into the cell he goes and we'll do this again tomorrow." He smashed his hand twice. "Feel like talking? No? Then your broken hands will stay broken. Throw him in the cell, lad."

I unlocked the door and put him in the cell. "I'll post a guard in here, Timothy. For now, can you stay here?"

"Of course."

I walked out and towards the guard postings. Three guards had no postings. I went to the barracks. The three guards were playing chess. They bolted up as soon as they saw me. "Sir." The three guards said simultaneously.

"I need one of you to guard the prisoner in the dungeon."

"I'll do it."

"Good, follow me." The two of us walked to the dungeon. "Sir Timothy, you can leave." I turned to the guard. "You'll be here from dawn to dusk. I'll have another guard here from dusk to dawn. Don't antagonize the prisoner. He also gets no food or aid for his hands."

"Yes sir." He saluted.

I went to my quarters. David wasn't there. I walked back out and literally walked into someone. It was a guard. "Sir, we have a problem."

"What's the problem?"

"Sir David's missing."

 


	6. Chapter 6

My heart sank. "He hasn't reported for patrol duty."

"But he was writing a letter."

"And he gave it to the courier. What happened after that, we don't know."

"Has General Ellsworth been told?" He shook his head. "Why wasn't he told and I was? Go to tell him. Now."

"Yes sir."

I leaned against the wall and slid down it. After a little while, I heard footsteps and the clatter of armour. The General ran towards me. I gave him a blank stare. "Felix?" He crouched. I kept staring at him. "We'll find him, I promise." He took my hand and pulled me up. "Guards, can you please escort Davenward to the doctor?"

The guards walked me to the infirmary. The doctor said, "There was no battle, why is a knight here?"

"The General told us to bring him here."  
"Sit him down there." The doctor pointed to a cot. They sat me down and the doctor started to ask me questions, "Why did the General send you here?" I gave the doctor the same stare I gave the General. "You can speak right?"

General Ellsworth walked in. "He can."

"What happened?"

"His best friend has gone missing."

"Sir David?"

"Yes. This is Sir Felix Davenward."

"So, why is he here?"

"I thought you could do something."

"The only thing that will help him is finding Sir David."

"Well, looks like have a task ahead of us. Davenward, come on." I stood up slowly. We went outside. "Stay here." He climbed the ramparts. "Attention everybody, I say this with a heavy heart, it's seems that a knight has gone missing. Sir David the Dragonheart has not reported for duty. He would not do this willingly. He takes his responsibilities very seriously. I'm going to assemble a small group of soldiers. The knights will remain here, except for Felix. Please don't bother him at this time. Sir David was his best friend. We will ride to the nearest town and ask the locals." He climbed down.

I walked to my quarters and checked the desk. There was nothing. He left his armour and weapons there. There was a small amount of blood on the back of the chair. "Where are you, David?" I whispered to myself. I sheathed my swords and put on the rest of my armour. I walked out and, again, walked into someone.

"Davenward." I looked up. "We'll be leaving soon. We will find him." He shook my shoulders slightly. "The nearest town is only half a day's ride from here." We walked to the stables. I got on a horse. "Ready?" I nodded. We rode out of the fort.

After a while, we came upon a turned over cart. I got off and flipped the cart over. I crouched and examined the ground. There was blood on the grass and a key on a string. I picked up the key. It was David's. I clenched it in my fist. "They were here." I said quietly. I put the key around my neck. I quickly hopped back on my horse. "Come on." I commanded my horse to move faster.

"Davenward, is that David's key?"

"Yes. When I overturned the cart, there was blood. It seemed mostly fresh. Back at the fort, in our quarters, there was blood on the back of a chair. David probably wasn't conscious when they left. All of his armour was left. They might've been able to carry him." At this point, I didn't actually know what I was saying.

**_12 hours later..._ **

When we got to the town it was dusk. But the tavern was still full and people were walking the paths. We put our horses in the stable and then walked into the tavern. "Excuse us. We're looking for a group with a possibly unconscious individual." General Ellsworth said to the barman.

"What's it to you?"

"We're part of the royal army."

He had a look of shock and worry, "What does the unconscious guy look like?"

"Tall, blond, muscular with hazel eyes."

"Never seen 'im." He said quickly.

The General pulled out his sword and pointed it in the barman's direction, "How about now?" He was silent. "Guards, arrest him." They jumped over the counter and tied his hands. "Bring him out back." We dragged him out back. "Tie his legs." The guards tied his legs. "Now, are you going to tell us what we need? Or do I need cut something off?" Still he remained silent. "What to take? His hand? Or his dick?" General Ellsworth pulled out a large knife. "How about I take both?"

"Alright. They're still in town. They're in the abandoned house at the end of the street."

"Two of you stay here, just in case." The rest of us walked down the street. The house was certainly abandoned. But the boards on the door were pulled off.  
I tried to open the door. "Locked." I took out a lockpick from my pack.

"Lockpicking?"

"Useful skill. I always picked the locks in my house." I soon had the door open. We quietly walked in. There was noise and light coming from downstairs. I walked to the door. Surprisingly, it was unlocked. We walked downstairs. We stopped halfway when we heard someone speak.

"Are ya gonna talk, knight?" Someone said. They punched someone.

"What information do I have that you want?" A voice I recognized said.

"That's David." I said angrily.

"You know where we are. We're not doing anything at the moment. Just waiting."

I looked out. There was only two of them. And David was naked and chained to the wall. He was covered in bruises, cuts, and blood. "Wait here." I said to them. I quickly walked down the stairs, making as little noise as possible. When I got behind them, I pulled out my swords. I smiled at David. I told him to be quiet. I killed the one standing near the stairs. I quietly moved to kill the other one. After I killed the other one, General Ellsworth and the soldiers came downstairs. They immediately covered their eyes.

"Thank Markus, the keys are on the wall." He said, tiredly.

"Davenward, how can you look at him?"

"It's nothing I haven't seen before." I said, grabbing the key. I unlocked the chains and David collapsed.

"I'm fine." He said, getting up slowly and rubbing his wrists. I handed him his key. "Where did you find this? I thought they lost it." I helped David put pants on. The other five finally uncovered their eyes. David grunted. "Careful, Felix."

"David, can you walk?" General Ellsworth asked.

"Probably not." He tried and almost collapsed again.

"I got him." I threw him over my shoulders. "You're not as heavy as I thought."

"It's worse with armour." We walked out of the house and to the stables. "How do you expect me to ride a horse?"

I put David down and he stayed standing. I climbed on the horse and pulled David up. "Try to stay awake."

_**Another 12 hours later...** _

We got back at dawn. I got off the horse and helped David get down. I picked him up again. "Davenward, take him to the infirmary."

"Yes sir." We walked to the infirmary.

"I see you found him. Set him down carefully." The doctor pointed to a bed. I set him down. David groaned. "Is any thing broken?"

"I don't think so."

The doctor to started examine the cuts and bruises. "Nothing serious. Everything will heal in time." The doctor started to clean the cuts. David grimaced. "I know why you can't walk. The gash on your leg is deeper than the rest. It's still not serious enough it to prompt stitches. I'll bandage you up, and get you on your way." After David got bandaged, the doctor said to me, "They'll need to cleaned everyday. You'll do that, there's no need to bring him here everyday. But, bring him here once a week." The doctor gestured us to leave.

I got David to his feet. I picked him up once more and brought him to our quarters. "I'll be back. I have to speak with Sir Timothy." I walked over to Sir Timothy's quarters. I knocked on the door.

"Felix-"

"I know why the rebel approached the fort." I gestured him to follow me. We walked down into the dungeon. "Soldier, key please."

"Of course, sir." He handed me the key. I unlocked the cell and threw the prisoner in the chair.

"So, you approached the fort to distract us. And because of that a knight is injured. What would be the proper punishment, Sir Timothy?"

"Death. Whenever a soldier or knight is injured, the punishment is death. I'll tell General Ellsworth."

"I'll stay here. Soldier, you're dismissed."

"Yes sir."

"So, are you going to confess?"

"Why? You know what I did."

"It might put your mind at rest."

"I was tasked with distracting the gate guards, while two others grabbed a knight."

"Very ambitious, kidnapping the most famous knight in the kingdom."

"They kidnapped Sir David the Dragonheart? Those fucking idiots. All we wanted was information as to why the army is currently stationed here."

"You're a rebel?" He nodded. "Then don't you know that the declaration of war was signed a week ago?"

"What? We weren't told anything about that. All we knew was the knights came through the town and were headed to the fort."

When he finished his statement, General Ellsworth came in with the other officers, including David. "So, rebel. It's technically your fault Sir David is injured. And because of that, the punishment is death." The General said, gruffly. "Sir David, do you think that is an appropriate punishment?"

David was leaning on a walking stick and looked like he was thinking. "As much as I hate putting people to death, I'm sorry, but I do think death is the only punishment."


	7. Chapter 7

"Please, No."

"I can barely walk because of your friends." David said.

"They're dead. All I did was distract the guards."

"Yes and by doing that, you allowed a knight to get injured."

"But-"

"That's enough talk." General Ellsworth said. "Bring him to the gallows." The guards dragged him outside.

David and I walked slowly outside, "I told you my nightmares come true."

"It didn't really come true." He started to lean on me.

I helped David walk. "I said it was rarely the same." David chuckled. We walked out to the gallows.

"This man is a traitor. He distracted the guards and allowed a knight to be kidnapped." The General took his mask off. My nightmare had, in fact, come true. "Lord Davenward?"

I dropped to my knees. "Felix, tell your mother I love her and I'm sorry."

"Lord Thaddeus Davenward, husband to Lady Cassandra Davenward and father of Sir Felix Davenward. He stands accused of kidnapping, treason, conspiracy, and attempted murder. Do you have any last words?"

"Yes, can I talk to my son?"

General Ellsworth looked like he was thinking, "I'll allow it."

He jumped off the gallows and ran over to me. "Felix?"

He stood me up. "Why? You always hated the rebel leader."

He spoke loud enough for everybody to hear him, "Your mother and I are not the people you think we are. I've always supported the rebellion. Your mother too. You remember Catherine. Her family doesn't support the rebellion. I'm sorry. I know you always hated the rebellion, I didn't want you to become a knight for that reason."

"I'm not just a knight anymore, father. I'm an officer of the royal army and I have something to tell you." I took a deep breath. "David and I are together." I brought David closer to me. There was a dramatic gasp for everybody. David gave a look of, 'Why did you do that?'

"What? I can't believe you-"

General Ellsworth grabbed him and brought him back up to the gallows. "That's enough. Lord Thaddeus Davenward, I sentence you to death." He made my father kneel in front of the executioner. The executioner raised his axe and brought it down upon my father's head. His head rolled of the block.

"Good riddance, you bastard." I said as walked back to my quarters.

**_A few days later..._ **

The reinforcements finally arrived. The officers were overseeing their arrival. "You been given your assigned quarters. Please head there now." Sir Timothy said.

"Felix, we need to talk." David said. He was able to walk without help. We walked to our quarters. He closed the door and put the barricade down. "Now that everyone knows we're together..." He grabbed me and kissed me. "I've missed being close to you." He breathed. "I'd lift you but I don't think my leg could handle it."

"Then I'll do it." I lifted him, which was not great idea, as he was in his armour. He wrapped his legs around my waist. I placed my forehead against his.

"Felix, as much as I want to, this is not a great place for sex." He whispered.

"I know. But, it's too late to object."   
I threw him on the bed.

"No, Felix, I really mean that. I'm also injured, still."

I helped him to his feet. "You can't hide from me forever." I teased. I turned away from him.

"I don't plan to." He breathed. "I don't mean to ruin the mood but, I also need to actually talk about something. A few days ago, at the execution, you didn't seem as upset as you, probably, ought of been."

I sighed, I knew he would want to talk about this, eventually. "At the execution, once my father told me that my mother and him were rebels, all the love I had was destroyed."

"But they're your parents."

"And they lied to my face because they knew I wouldn't of supported them. I wrote to my mother, telling her what happened, yesterday. I'm still waiting to see what she has to say." I unbarred the door and walked over to the courier's office.

"Ah, Sir Davenward. You actually have two letters. Neither are from your mother."

"Lovely. Who are they from?"

"No idea. Actually, one of them is from General Ellsworth. It's a formality."

I walked back to my quarters. I sat down at the desk. I opened General Ellsworth's letter first.

"Dear Felix, I offer my condolences to you during this time. Losing a parent is not easy to deal with.   
Sincerely, General Graham Ellsworth."

"Such a great letter, General." I said sarcastically.

I, then, opened the unknown letter.  
"Dear Felix Davenward, I know this letter isn't finding you in great times. I offer you an apology for what happened. Sending your father over there was not meant to be a death sentence. We wanted to know what was going on. Your mother is staying off the battlefield, I promise you that.  
Sincerely, Lord Maxwell Lennox, Leader of the Noble Rebellion"

"Great. I need to go tell the General something, try not to get kidnapped again." I told David. I heard him chuckle as I walked out.

I walked to the General's office. "Sorry, Sir Davenward, but General Ellsworth is out at the moment. He'll be back shortly." A guard said.

I waited for him to arrive. It took ten minutes for him to get back. "Davenward, why are you waiting for me?" I handed him the letter. "What's this...Fucking hell. Do you know Lord Lennox?"

"Not really. My parents did."

"Good. He's a horrible man. But they know we're here. Fan-fucking-tastic." He sighed angrily. "Go back to your quarters. And tell Sir David to stop letting an injury get the best of him."

"Yes sir."

"And Felix, I give you permission."  
"Permission for what?"

"He'll know what. And he may not like it. " He said with a smirk.

I walked back. David was laying down and staring at the ceiling. "General Ellsworth said that you shouldn't let a injury get the better of you." David chuckled. "He also gave me permission. For what, I don't know."

He looked at me for a moment, "Motherfucker...We're lucky." He got up and walked over. "When two knights get together, the commanding officer, General Ellsworth in this case, has to give permission. Very rarely do they give it in times of war. That's the actual reason I said no earlier. My leg's fine. But now..." He trailed off. He started to take off his armour. I did the same. We, then, heard a very urgent knock. "For fuck's sake." David said.

I walked over to the door and opened it. "Sirs..." The guard was out of breath. "There's... a dragon...flying about."

"Say that again?" I said.

"A dragon...flying overhead."

I looked at David. "There's...a dragon?" The guard nodded. I quickly put my armour on. I ran to the front gate. "What...the...fuck." I whispered to myself as I looked up. David ran up next to me and looked up as well.

"Dragons haven't been seen for over eight centuries...Why now out of all the times?" He yelled.

"Maybe you'll actually get a dragon heart as a trophy." I joked as I nudged him with my elbow.

David glared at me. "No."

The dragon kept circling a nearby field. David started to run towards the field. "David slow down." I ran after him. I heard General Ellsworth shouting at us. He started to slow down as we got closer. "David, you do realise dragons can speak right?"

He stopped almost immediately. "What?"

"You haven't read the history on dragons, have you?"

"No."

"Dragons are intelligent and are able to speak. We might be able to ask what it's doing."

"Do you really think it will speak with us?"

"It might." We started to slowly approach the dragon. As we got closer we saw what it was circling. "What is that?"

"It looks like a sinkhole." The dragon landed next to the giant hole. It looked in our direction.

"Who goes there, mortals?" It said in a booming voice.

"We're knights from the royal army. We wanted to ask what you were doing." David shouted back.

"I have been in a slumber for many centuries. I have flown many miles from the Reskre Mountains. Others of my kind are starting to awaken as well. Last time we were awake the warrior named Markus just defeated the old gods and freed the mortals from enslavement. We were not the ones he fought. We are the children of the old gods. We do not want to enslave the mortals. And as I recall, Markus put his faith in me and my father, Reskre, to keep him from harm."

"That still doesn't answer my question."

"Ah, yes. I remember mortals being very straightforward. This sinkhole is where another of my kind awoke some time ago. I have been searching for clues to his whereabouts."

By this time the rest of the army has arrived. "David, Davenward, why did you run off?" I gestured towards the dragon.

"My apologies, good sir. These gentlemen were simply speaking with me."

"The beast can talk?"

"Beast? I am no beast. I am Mekarth, Redeemer Of Men, and child of the god of wisdom, Reskre. The only god who wanted the mortals to be free, as I recall. I will warn you. The rest of my kind may not be as hospitable, as I. I will depart. I must find the rest of my kind." 


	8. Chapter 8

David and I walked back to the fortress. "Have you gotten a response from your mother?" I asked David.

"I'll check when we get back."

"How do you think she reacted?"

"I don't know. We were never a very religious family." We walked into the fort. "Let's go check."

We walked into the courier's office. "Sir David. You have a letter."

"Thank you." He opened it. As he started reading, his expression darkened. "Dammit." He crumpled the letter. "I never should of done that..." He dropped it and walked out.  
I picked it and uncrumpled it.

" _David, the news you have brought me is troubling me and your father._ _We have heard rumours. We_ _didn't_ _want to believe them. This lifestyle is not what we had in mind for our only child. We are_ _disowning_ _you."_

"David!" I ran out after him. "David, please."

"No." He looked over his shoulder. He walked over to a wall and punched it. I heard several cracks. He groaned in pain. "I'm sorry, Felix." He leaned against the wall.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Because this is the side of me I never wanted you to see."

I walked over. The look on his face is permanently ingrained in my mind. He looked like he was the verge of tears. "David, it's fine. Your parents may come around." I gestured him to follow me. We walked into our quarters.

He sat on the bed. "Knowing my parents, their never going to come around. They're stubborn."

I crouched in front of him. "David, if they don't, you still have others."

There was a knock. "David, what happened?" A voice, I recognized as Lady Lika's, said. I opened the door. Lika looked concerned. "I heard that something happened." I handed her the letter. "Oh. This-"

"Don't say anything. Please." David begged. He was on the verge of tears, again. I sat next to him.

"David, a lot of knights know that their parents don't approve." Lika said.

"My parents approve of me being a knight, Lika." David threw himself back.

"Then, what could..." She trailed off.

"Felix and me."

"Oh, that. Thankfully, most knights aren't religious. But, a lot of people are."

"My parents aren't really religious, but they're judgmental. They think that anything that doesn't fit their view of 'normal' needs to be removed and kept far away from them. They did that with me. I've been removed from the family." He said, his voice slowly getting angrier. He stood up.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Anywhere but here." He walked out. He slammed the heavy door behind him.

I went after him but Lika stopped me. "Felix, leave him alone."

"But-"

"He needs to be alone." I sighed heavily. "He needs to calm down. He'll be back." She left.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes. I walked out to the fort gate. "Sir Davenward." The guards saluted me again. "Last time you were here a knight went missing. We just saw Sir David walk out. So we shouldn't worry unless he doesn't come back."

"He and his parents just had a falling out. He needs to get out of the fort for a while."

"Should we tell General Ellsworth?"

"I'll do that. You keep watch."

I went to General Ellsworth's office and knocked on the door. "Come in." He was staring at a map with red and blue flags on it. "Now what?"

"David has left the fort."

"Why?"

"Him and his parents had a falling out. So he left for a while."

"I'm surprised you didn't go with him."

"Lika stopped me."

General Ellsworth sighed. "Well, there's nothing I can do, as I don't know where he went. Thank you for telling me."

"I'll let you know as soon as he comes back."

"Sounds like a plan." He waved me off.

I walked out to the field across from the fort. I sat in front of a tree. I looked over to the sinkhole the dragon made. I looked back at the fort. I saw a royal courier approaching. I got up and ran over to him.

"Sir." He saluted.

"Do you have any letters addressed to Felix Davenward?"

He looked around in his pack. "I do." He handed me the letter. He walked off.

I walked back to the tree and sat down.

 _"Dear Felix,_  
_It's upsetting to hear about your father. I never wanted him to join the rebellion. He_ _wouldn't_ _listen_ _to reason and insisted he join. But, when he did I supported him and in some way, probably killed him. And regarding you and Sir David, I already knew. And I don't care. As long as your happy,_ _I'm_ _happy._  
_Love, Your mother."_

I smiled. At least one of my parents was reasonable. I folded the letter and put it in my pack. I leaned against the tree. I closed my eyes and quickly dozed off. A little while later, I woke up to an arrow being shot and getting lodged in my shoulder. I quietly cursed to myself and broke off the arrow shaft. My armour absorbed most of the impact. I looked in the direction that the arrow came from. One of the archers from the fort was laughing. I re-settled against the tree and looked over at the archer, he seemed disappointed that I wasn't injured. I looked over towards the road. Still no sign of David. I got up. The archer looked nervous. I walked back in the fort.

The gate guards asked, "Why is there an arrow in your shoulder?"

"Ask the archer who shot it." I looked up at the still nervous archer.

"You! Get down here!" One of the guards said to archer. The archer jumped of the rampart. "Why did you shoot Sir Davenward?"

"I..uh..." The archer nervously stuttered.

"Bring him to the dungeon."

I interjected, "I dont think that's necessary."

A look of relief washed over the archer. "Still, he needs to be reprimanded."

"Then you do it. You're his superior."

"I am?"

"Yes." The guard immediately punched the archer in face. "Why would do that?"

"That's his reprimand." He spoke to the archer. "Don't do that again."


	9. Chapter 9

"Yessir." He was stunned. His nose was also bleeding. The archer climbed back up the ramparts.

"Sir, you might want to pull the arrow out of your shoulder."

I pulled the arrow head out. It didn't manage to reach the skin. "He's lucky." I walked back to my quarters. I opened the heavy door. Still no sign of David. I opened my pack, put the letter on the desk, and pulled out my whetstone. I sharpened my shortswords. I walked out to the training grounds.

"Come to spar, sir?" The soldier on duty said.

"Yes."

"I'll set you up with a sparring partner."

"I'll do it." A voice behind us said. It was voice I knew well. We turned around. It was David. It had only been a few hours since he left but he looked worse for wear. It looked like he ran head first into battle. He was covered in dirt and blood and he seemed changed somehow.

"Sir, two knights aren't allowed to spar."

"Fuck the rules. I'm sparring with him." He took his greatsword out of it's sheath on his back. His sword was much more scarred than I last saw it.

I knew he wasn't going to go easy on me. I unsheathed my swords. We entered the sparring ring. I knew I had to focus to win. "Ready? " We both nodded. "Spar!"

We ran towards each other and started to slash at each other. After a few minutes, neither of us made a dent in the other's defense. That's when we locked swords and didn't budge. We each pushed towards each other but our strength was equal and we couldn't get an opening. We stayed that way for a minute. Neither of us was willing to back down and risk getting hit. I locked eye with David, they were fiercer than I had ever seen. The longer we stayed locked, the larger the crowd around us got. Eventually, word got around about the stalemate, and General Ellsworth and the other knights showed up.

"Boys, lay off each other." The General said.

We both ignored him and started to push harder. "You'll break eventually, noble." David said in a tone I had never from him before.

I retorted with, "You can't make me back down, farmboy."

We each started to push with all our strength. Our boots were slipping in the sand and pebbles lining the ring. My swords started to slip but ended up in a scar in his blade. I sensed worry coming from David. His grip on his sword weakened. His focus broke and I was able to land a blow. I elbowed him in the nose. The stalemate broke. He backed up, clutching his nose. I kicked out his leg and he landed on his back. He picked up his sword and blocked my swords. Our swords locked again. I stepped on his chest and started to push my swords against his.

"David, I don't want to hurt you." I said in a pleading tone.

"Well, I want to hurt you." He said. I was taken aback. I got off him and backed up. He got to his feet. He ran at me. We locked sword for a third time but this time I couldn't push back and he pushed me to the edge of my side of the ring. My back was against the short stone wall. My swords slipped and he elbowed me in the face, hard, much harder than I elbowed him. He broke my nose. I cried out in pain, holding my nose but unable to back up like David did. I dropped my swords and fell to the ground, still holding my nose. David went to slice at me but was restrained by Timothy and Riley. Lika helped me to my feet. I was crying from the pain, more the emotional pain than the physical pain. I sat on the wall. I looked over and saw David on the ground with Timothy and Riley standing on his arms. He was breathing heavily. General Ellsworth confiscated mine and David's swords. I put my nose back in its proper place. The pain dulled.

"Let's get you to the doc." Lika said. She walked me to the doctor. He was in the crowd.

"Sit on the wall." He said. He examined my nose. "Well, he put it back in place already. There's not much left to do." He took out some cloth and put it in my nose. I winced. "That should help the bleeding." He handed an extra piece of cloth. I wiped my face with it. Someone brought out water for me. Lika took the bucket from them. I splashed water on my face and wiped it again. I felt a little better. I looked back at David. He was against the wall, being talked to by Timothy and General Ellsworth. Riley was restraining him. I looked down at my hands, they were shaking. I stood up. Lika guided me to hers and Timothy's room. She sat me down on a bed. I was still shaking.

"Felix, I'm going to see if Timothy will move in with David so you can be here." I was in a stupor at this point and couldn't respond. She hugged me. "I'll be right back." She left the room.

It felt like hours before Lika came back. She opened the door with another person in tow. "David wants to talk." She noticed the look of panic in my eyes and came over and crouched in front of me. "Felix, he doesn't remember anything from the past hour. He doesn't even remember how he got here. It's strange. Riley and Timothy are right outside if anything happens and I'll be in the room."

"Felix..." David said, he sounded genuinely apologetic. But he seemed to realize that I wasn't going to trust him immediately. He stayed near the door but continued speaking. "They told me what happened, and I would never willingly hurt you. I was in some sort of trance. I left to clear my head and ended up in a bandit camp which is  why I'm covered in dirt and blood. After that all I remember is being restrained against the ring wall. They told me I broke your nose, I would never knowingly do that. I'm sorry." He paused. He gestured towards me. "May I? " He said to Lika.

"Felix?"

I nodded. He moved towards the bed. He didn't sit on it, instead he sat on the floor directly in front of me and looked up. "Felix, please accept my apology. You don't have to forgive me, I wouldn't forgive me but I just need confirmation that you don't hate me." He gently placed his hand on my leg. It was a much different touch than earlier.

"I...accept your apology." I said, with some difficulty and in a nasally voice.

David got up and kneeled. He took my hand. "Thank you." He pulled me into a hug. I heard him start to cry. I also started to cry.

Lika left the room. We cried for a while.  When we finally stopped, David sat on the bed and I examined his nose. It was bruised but not broken. He laughed and said, "You got me good, but I deserved it."

I moved closer to him and placed my head on his shoulder and sniffed, which was difficult because of the cloth in my nose. David placed his head against mine. "I was worried you weren't going to accept. I didn't know what I was going to do if you said no."

"I almost did. But I couldn't because it's difficult to say no to someone you love." David moved his head and placed his forehead against mine.

General Ellsworth walked in. "You two are in some amount...Did you make up that fast?"

"Not quite. We've got some way to go." I responded.

"Anyway, you two were supposed to be in trouble. But, if you two made up,  even partially, I can't reprimand you. But, let this be your warning. Also, you two aren't getting your weapons back until you need them. Especially David. Your sword was a mess. So, no sparring with anyone." He turned and walked out.

"Maybe we should move to our own room. Get out of Lika's and Timothy's way." David said. We both got up and left. We were stopped by Riley and Timothy. "It's okay, guys. We made up."

"Felix, you good, lad?" Timothy said.

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?" Riley said.

I nodded. They let us pass. We walked in to our quarters. "I'm exhausted." David yawned. He stretched.

"Too much excitement for one day. Let's sleep." I said, taking off my armor and placing it in the chest. David started to take his off as well. We laid down on the bed. I placed my head on his chest. He smelled like dirt, sweat, and blood. We both quickly fell asleep.

 


	10. Chapter 10

In the few weeks following the incident, the other officers kept a close eye on David. It was now the Month of Harvest. "It's been three weeks. Why are they still following me?"

My nose was mostly healed but it was still painful. "They want to keep me safe."

"I understand that. But, they should know by now whether you're safe or not."

Our patrol was interrupted by a scout coming over to us. "General Ellsworth wants all the officers in his office." He walked back towards the fort.

We walked back to the fort and into the General's office. He looked very upset. The other officers were already there. "I have very bad news. The king and his family have been killed."

"What?! When did this happen?" Lika said.

"A few days ago. They were poisoned. We were told early this morning."

"Who's the regent?" I asked.

"Head Cleric Geoffrey is. But, I fear for his life. Some knights are en route to the castle."

"I thought the royal family had tasters?" Lika said.

"They do but the poison was added after that."

"What are we going to do?" David said.

"Well, it was brought to my attention that there is an heir to the throne."

"Who?"

There was a pregnant pause. "Felix." I felt everyone's gaze turn to me.

"There's no way I'm related to the king."

"Your father was brother-in-law to the king. The king married one of your aunts."

"What. The. Fuck." I said quietly. "I never knew that. Wait...doesn't that make my mother heir?"

"No. It's always a male that's heir unless there are none. She couldn't even rule with you."

"So if I'm heir, what does that make David?"

"Your consort. But you would eventually need to marry. The only noble family that hasn't rebelled-"

"Is Catherine's." I interjected.

"This is first time in four ages that there was a questionable heir to the throne. Last one being a bastard son. So you're even more far removed...Felix, the kingdom will take anyone as the king at the moment. Even Lennox. So, this is not good. But we have your aunt's marriage certificate that proves you're the heir. If he was still alive, your father would be heir."

"So, Felix could be in grave danger." David said with concern. He placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Yes, but no one knows yet. We just need to get him to Veritwall before the rebels."

"No." I said. "I don't know how to rule a country and I'm only eighteen. I'm also newly knighted and have no battle experience."

"The king was twenty-five when he took the throne. You'll be fine."

I sighed. "Fine. But, I'm not going to be one of those kings that sits on his ass all day. I'm going to be a knight and king and no one's stopping me." I said, forcefully.

"Let's go then. But first, we need to inform the rest. Felix, come up with me. The rest of you gather everyone." The General and I climbed the ladder to the ramparts. The officers were rounding everyone up. We waited until everyone was watching. The crowd stood by rank with the archers in the front and knights in the back. "Some of you may of heard that the royal family was killed a few days ago. And unfortunately, it's true." There was collective gasp from the crowd. "But, we have good news. We have found an heir to the throne."

A knight shouted, "Who is it?"

"Who is it? Well, this will come as surprise but, we've learned that Sir Felix Davenward is heir to the throne."

Everyone immediately kneeled. A knight stood and started to speak, "General, I'll speak for everyone here, and say that we are ready to follow Sir Davenward into battle as our king." The crowd cheered. "I only have one concern, Sir Davenward has only been a knight for a few weeks. Is _**he**_ ready to **_lead_** us?"

"Felix, **_are_** you ready?"

I raised my voice to be heard over the crowd and cleared my throat. "I may be a young, newly appointed knight but that doesn't mean anything. Sir David is the most famous knight in the land and he's only twenty-three. Would you follow him into battle? Of course you would. But I know where this concern comes from. I've yet to see my first battle. And I know I'm a good fighter on my own, but I don't know if I'm good at cooperating in the field. So I'm going to prove I'm ready by crushing this rebellion, reuniting the nobility and bringing peace back to Plaidan."The crowd cheered again.

"Now that you're willing to follow him. We're all going to move back to Veritwall. Don't mention any of this in any letters, in case they get intercepted. Let's pack up and move out." General Ellsworth and I climbed back down. We were met by the officers. "You two need to grab your weapons before we leave."

David and I quickly walked to the blacksmith. "You need your weapons." The blacksmith said. He handed them to us. "You need to take better care of that sword, sir. You're lucky I was able to reforge it." He said to David. "Take care."

David and I sheathed our swords.

As we walked away form the blacksmith I said, "He's right, David. Your sword was in terrible shape."

"Blame the bandits. You also caused some scars too."

"You scarred my swords so, I scarred yours."

We walked back to the front of the fort where everyone was boarding the carriages. We jumped into the officer carriage. "Did he take care of your sword, David?" Timothy said. David unsheathed it. Timothy looked at it. "He does marvelous work. It looks brand new."

"He said I was lucky he was able to reforge it." The carriage jolted and started moving. David's sword almost hit us.

"Put that away. Or we'll be missing our legs." General Ellsworth said. David put the sword back on his back. "We're trying to get to Veritwall in five days. That means no stopping."

We all settled in for the long trip.

**_Four days later..._ **

It actually took us four days instead of five. We got off the carriage and moved quickly to The House of Duality. That's where it was decided who the next king was. We walked into the House and into the amphitheater. "I've set a letter ahead so the counsel should be in."

The guards stopped us. "Do you have business here?"

"I'm General Ellsworth. The counsel is expecting me."

One of the guards went inside. "Who's this?"

"Sir Felix Davenward."

The guard came back. "They're ready for you. Head inside."

We went inside the amphitheater. Fifty people were sitting in the amphitheater, seperated based on religion, Ancient Markovin or Contemporary Markovin. One person in between. The archcleric. "General Ellsworth. Is this who you were referring to in your letter?"

"Yes, your eminence. This man is Sir Felix Davenward, son of Cassandra Davenward and the recently deceased Thaddeus Davenward."

"What proof do you have that can prove he's heir to the throne?"

"I have the marriage certificate of King James and Queen Rowan. Queen Rowan was Thaddeus' sister."

"Please hand us this certificate." The General handed the certificate to a guard who, in turn, handed it to the archcleric. He read it aloud, "This certificate honors the marriage of King James and Rowan Davenward on Celebration 34th of 4-64." He placed it down. "We have the Davenward family line here. Thaddeus and Rowan were twins. Well, I'll be damned... Maxwell Lennox was here a few days ago claiming he was the heir. But, we can't name an heir without proof. And with this certificate combined with your family tree, we have a new heir to the throne." The clergy stood up and clapped.

I looked over and General Ellsworth was kneeling, which I had never see him do. "I'm at your command, your majesty."

"Felix, please come with me." The archcleric said. I followed him. He led me to a royal carriage. "This is a momentous day. To have an heir within a few days of the death of the royal family is outstanding. You will be crowned in a few hours. First, we must make a few arrangements." We rode to the castle.

"I've never been to the royal castle before." We walked up the steps. Guards bowed as we walked past.

"You were a noble weren't you?"

"I never left the manor."

"Well, it won't take long to get used to the castle."

"Where are we heading?"

"The war room." We walked up another staircase and into a small room. We past several servants along the way. There were several guards in the room.

"Your eminence, before we go on, can ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Are you Ancient or Contemporary?"

"Personally, I'm Contemporary. But, I must oversee both sides. Why?"

"Because...me and another knight...are-"

"Together?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Who?"

"The most famous in the land."

"Sir David the Dragonheart? Oh dear...I'm not against that but the Ancient clergy and citizens will be. Are you religious?"

"Not particularly. I never have."

"We have a scandalous rule ahead of us." He joked. "Don't worry. The clergy can't do anything without my permission. So they can't overthrow you as long as I'm archcleric."

"Thank Markus." I sighed.

"Now that that's out of the way, it's time for the tailor." The guards went to get the tailor.

"This is the third time in the past five weeks I've been fitted for something."

"Really?" The guards came back with the the tailor. "I'll leave if want."

"I'm not shy. You can stay." I took my armor off. The tailor started to measure me. "How are these clothes going to be ready today?"

"They aren't for today. You'll wear your armor at your coronation."

He measured my head. "Why my head?"

"The crown. We'll need to adjust it to your head. That can be done today."

"He's the same size as James." The tailor said. "For everything."

"Oh. How convenient. Go grab the crown." The guards left again as well as the tailor. "You might have clothes for coronation. I didn't realize you and James were the same height and size."

"Really? I tower over most people." I started to put my armor back on.

"That's why. You're so tall that I couldn't tell."

The guards came back with a very extravagant crown. "That's very...over the top."

"Blame James. You can change it. Make it more plain if you want."

"Please."

"Guards bring it to the tailor."

"Yes, your eminence." They said in unison. They backed out of the room.

"Those poor guards. Having to run around." I said.

"That's what they're there for. Let's go I'll show you around the castle." We started to walk. "We have to find an advisor for you."

"David? That would explain why he's always around me."

"That's a good idea." We stopped. "The throne room. It's a straight forward room." We went around the castle and all the different rooms. It took about three hours.

"I have another question. Can we bring my mother here? She's all alone in the manor."

"What will come of your manor, if we do?"

"I have an idea."

"What?"

"An orphanage. The area it's in doesn't have one."

"Another good idea. You might actually get things done. We'll bring your mother here after you stop the rebellion."

He brought me back to the throne room. "Would you like to sit on the throne?" I figured he was trying to pass time before the coronation. I sat down on the throne. It was quite comfortable. "You already look like a king."

"We should bring General Ellsworth and the officers here."

"I'll have the guards get them." He turned his attention to the guards. "Can you get General Ellsworth and the officers from the fort?"

"Of course, your eminence." They backed put of the room.

Another group of guards came in with the crown. "Your eminence, we have the crown." They handed the crown to the archcleric.

"Thank you." He turned to face me. "Felix, come here." I got up and went over to the archcleric. "Kneel." I kneeled. He put the crown on my head. Even with most of the jewels removed, it was quite heavy. "Perfect." He took it back off.

I stood up. "Its heavier than I thought it would be."

"It's made of red gold. Not as heavy as it was before, but it's still substantial."

The general and officers walked in along with the guards. They kneeled when they saw us. "Your eminence." They stood up.

"We're at your service, your majesty." Lika said.

"Please don't call me that." I gestured towards David. He came closer. I spoke just above a whisper, "I've appointed you as my advisor."

"Why me?"

"So people don't get suspicious as to why your always around me."

"I'm just a peasant knight. I know nothing about being a royal advisor."

"Now you sound like me. I'm sure that someone will show you how." I turned my attention to the archcleric. "Your eminence, are we ready for the coronation?"

"Now that we have the crown, we are."

"We'll round up the citizens." Timothy said. "David, stay with Felix."

The officers and general left. "In the meantime, let's get you two ready." The archcleric said.

"How?"

"Bathing and grooming."

"Why didn't we do that earlier?"

"It'll take half an hour to round up everyone in the city. So, we have time." David and I followed the archcleric to the wash room. "I'll leave to get the royal barber."

David and washed ourselves fairly quickly. We waited to put our armor back on. The archcleric came back with the barber and some chairs. The barber put the chairs down and said, "Sit." David and I sat down. He wet my face and started to shave it with a straight razor. After that, he shortened my hair.

After being groomed, it was thirty-five minutes later and we were ready for the coronation. "Are you ready, your majesty?" The archcleric asked.

"Yes." I said with confidence on the outside but on the inside I was nervous. My hands were shaking.

David noticed my hands shaking. "Felix, relax. You'll do fine."

The guards opened the doors and the officers went outside followed by General Ellsworth. Then the archcleric and I went outside. We were met with great fanfare. The crowd went silent. The archcleric spoke. "Citizens of this great city, after having searching for many hours, we have found our new king, Felix Davenward. This name may sound familiar to you as he is the son of one of the greatest families of this age. He is not directly related to the late James but instead his wife Rowan. And since his father is deceased, the honor falls to him. Felix, please kneel." I kneeled in front of him. He once again placed the crown on my head. I stood and faced the crowd. "Citizens, your new king." The crowd cheered. The archcleric whispered to me. "Give them a speech."

I cleared my throat. "Citizens of Veritwall and Plaidan, I, as your king, promise to crush this rebellion and punish those responsible for the unrest in this country. Maxwell Lennox and his fellow rebellious nobles shall face the harshiest punishments that I can give without killing them. I will personally see that their punishments follow through. Even though I'm king, I was a knight first and will see my duty as such finished. The army they command will be dealt with as necessary, but rest assured, your countrymen in their army will not be punished, as they were recruited through force. They may be absorbed into the royal army and some may obtain knighthood." I paused and thought about what was going to say next. "Please return to your homes and businesses." I turned around and walked back into the castle. Everyone followed me inside.

I almost immediately felt sick to my stomach from public speaking. I sat down on the stairs leading to the second floor and throne room. I took the crown off my head and hung my head towards the floor. "Felix, are you okay?" David asked, crouching in front of me.

I could only utter one word, "Bucket." David moved back knowing I could vomit on him at any moment. A guard came inside with a bucket and a towel. He handed it to David, who then handed it to me. I immediately vomited in the bucket. General Ellsworth handed me the towel. I wiped my mouth.

"Lika, grab the doctor." David said. Lika left. David sat down next to me. I spit into the bucket. I placed it on the ground and sighed. "Can you of one get him water?" David asked Timothy and Riley.

"I got it." Riley said. He left as well. I covered the bucket with the towel.

Lika came back with the royal physician. "Sir, take off one of your gloves." I did as I was told. He examined my hand. My hand was significantly larger than his. "Cold sweats and clamminess. Nerves. He'll be alright but get him into lighter clothes."

"His royal suit should be done soon." The archcleric said. I put my glove back on and stood up. I lost my balance and almost fell over but the doctor steadied me. "Sir David, help him into his chambers and make him lie down."

David stood up and walked me to my chambers. He helped me take my armor off. He put on the armor stand in the room He then made me lay down. "This is your fault." I said.

"How is this my fault?"

"You're the one who wanted me to be a knight."

"You still would've become king. Being a knight just accelerated the process."

"Actually, my father...would've become...king. I think that me becoming king was a good idea."

"Now, you realize that it's a good thing."

The tailor walked in the room. "Your majesty. I've finished your suit."

I sat up with David's help. David took the suit from the tailor. The tailor left. David closed the door behind him. I got up. I took my underclothes off and got dressed. The suit's quite light for the amount of fabric that there is. "This is just a fancier version of my noble suit. It even has the Davenward crest on the cape and is our house colors."

David placed the crown on my head. He kissed me. "I'm going to have to start calling you 'my lord' again."

"Why?"

"You're king."

"Royalty is addressed as 'your majesty'."

"You hate being called 'your majesty'."

Somebody knocked on the door. David opened it. It was the archcleric. "Your majesty, I've taken the liberty of sending a letter to your mother."

"Thank you, your eminence."

"Are you feeling better?"

"Now that I'm out of my armor, yes."

"Good. Your first ruling is tomorrow. You'll be deciding what to do with the rebels after they're captured."

"I'm stripping away their titles and fortunes and forcing them into servitude."

"That's harsh. But, it's necessary." David said.

"That sounds better than James' plan. He wanted essentially to scold them and then leave them be." The archcleric said.

"I've seen firsthand what happens when the nobles aren't punished."

"Yes, I know. Your father was evidence of what could happen."


	11. Chapter 11

Just then General Ellsworth ran into the room. He was out of breath. "Your eminence. I need to speak with the king and Sir David, privately."

"Of course." The archcleric left.

"Your majesty. David. I've figured out why David went insane."

"Why?" David said, listening intently.

"Because you're a reaver."

There was a pause."True reavers haven't been seen since the age of Markus." I said.

"I think David's the first in a long time."

"I've been in a lot more battles than just the bandits. Why didn't it happen before?"

"Reavers take a while to mature. Most of the time their abilities appear in their in mid-twenties. So you're in line with others. Reavers are the best warriors in the world. It explains why you took to knighthood like a leech."

"So what I experienced a few week ago was-"

"A bloodlust." The General interjected. "But, the good news is reavers can sense other reavers even before they mature. So you can help find others."

"And with the reavers bolstering our army, it will make it unstoppable. But how will I know who's a reaver and who's not?"

"Reavers are attracted to each other. You'll find yourself gravitating to another and you'll feel a strong bond with them."

"So, Felix." David questioned.

The General was stunned. "I didn't think about that."

"Felix took to combat just as well as I did."

"If he is then that would be a problem. Reavers have notoriously short lives. They often die in their early thirties. But, there has been a handful who lived full lives and they're the ones who were trained by other reavers to control their lust."

"It's the bloodlust that kills them?" I asked.

"Yes. It consumes them to the point where it impossible to escape it. They don't eat or sleep. They only care about killing. They end up dying of exhaustion." The General paused. "We won't truely know until he's older. So, for now, we can't do anything."

"What about me?" David said indignantly.

"You're a knight, not the king."

"I'm an officer and the royal advisor. Dying when I'm thirty isn't an option."

"Well, the only way is to get trained or stop fighting."

"Who's going to train me? There haven't been other reavers in centuries."

"Technically, yes. I've read up on reavers. There is one left. He's a vampire named Markus."

" _ **The**_ Markus?" David asked.

"Yes, the saviour of humanity. But, nobody knows where he resides."

"Markus was a vampire?"

" _ **Is**_ a vampire. It was a gift from Reskre. But that's not important right now. What's important is finding him so he can train the two of you."

"Can we find him after the war?" I asked.

"Yes. This war is more important at the moment. We need the two of you focused. Get some sleep, it's late." General Ellsworth left the room and closed the door behind him.

It was slightly past dusk. So, according to the General, it was late. And I was tired so I took off my suit and went to bed. David went to lock the door and then he undressed as well and joined me in bed.

The following day David and I woke up early. We both got dressed and went to the war room. The archcleric and General were there. "You're awake. Good. We have news that Lennox is still in Veritwall. So we can capture him and stop this rebellion." General Ellsworth said.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"We have scouts determining his location now."

"For now, you have your first ruling soon." The archcleric said. "David, you will be the one announcing it." The archcleric gestured for us to follow him. The three of us walked to the throne room. The archcleric gave David a piece of parchment.

A small crowd was already there. They cheered as we walked past.  David went to stand next to the throne. "All rise for the king of Plaidan." He said. I sat down. "Today, your majesty, you will be-"

David was cut off by the clatter of armor and shouting. "Your majesty, we've got him!" Two knights came in with somebody being dragged along. It was Maxwell Lennox. They brought him up and removed his gag.

"Felix Davenward. The new king of Plaidan. This is inconvenient." Lennox said.

"Maxwell Lennox, you're just in time to hear your sentence. Yours and the other nobles sentences are as follows. You will stripped of all wealth and property. You will never able to have the title of noble ever again. And you will be forced to serve the crown in any way I see fit."

"What will happen to my assets?" He asked, worried.

"Your wealth will be used for improvements of the country and your property will be given to future nobles. Escort him to his holding cell." The guards started to drag him out of the room.

"Stop! I have a another question." The guards brought him back. "What will happen to the Memores? And what of your wealth?"

"Have they rebelled?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"No. I couldn't convince them."

"Then they will remain nobles." I paused. "I will give my family's wealth voluntarily. My mother will have no need of it, as she is coming to live in the castle." I gestured to the guards and they dragged him back out. "As a last word, I am leading the royal army to the last known location of Lennox's army to finish this once and for all. The army will leave tomorrow at dawn." I stood up and walked out and headed for the war room.

"General Ellsworth, I need to see you in the war room." I said as I walked by him.

"Yes, your majesty." He followed me.

"I also need to speak to Sir Riley."

"I'll get him." David said.

General Ellsworth and I walked to the war room. "General, how fast can we get to the rebels?"

"They're near Fort Titke. That's less than 6 hours from here. If we're meeting them, then we need to move now."

"Shit."

"If we wait until dawn, they'll seige the city."

"Let's move then." I went to my bedroom to collect my armor and weapons. I put my armor on over my royal attire, minus my helmet, and slid my swords into their sheaths.

David walked in. He had a helmet in his hands. "Here." He handed me the helmet. It was the knight helmet with a 'crown' around it. "It's a gift from Gerald the blacksmith."

I put it on. "I'll have to thank him later. Let's go."

"Where?" David asked.

"To war? We're leaving now."

"Oh." He grabbed his sword and sheath and put it back on his back. We ran out of the room and outside. We hopped on two horses in front of the castle and galloped to the fort. We got there quickly because the civilians parted when they saw us. We rode into the forts front gate and saw knights and archers packing up again.

"Where's Sir Riley?" I asked the gate guards.

"With the General." One of them responded. "The General should be at the blacksmith's."

We ran to the blacksmith. "Riley! I need to talk to you."

He turned around. He looked sullen. "Yes, your majesty?"

I lifted the visor on my helmet. "Did you hear my ruling?"

"Yes. I support it. I'm just...worried about fighting my family. I hoped it wouldn't have to come to this, and it's not anything to do with you, I wanted them to join the crown with the Memores but Lennox convinced them that the masses wanted this revolution."

"Don't worry we're not killing the nobles. We're capturing them."

"I know. Which is good."

The blacksmith and General walked out. "Mount up, we're leaving now. Your majesty, will you lead us?"

"Of course." We walked to the front of the fort. The knights and soldiers were waiting for us. They kneeled as I walked past.

"Get up and mount up." General Ellsworth shouted at them.

I mounted the horse I rode to the fort. David did the same. "General, is the army ready?"

"Soldiers, are you ready to end this war once and for all?" They cheered. "They're ready, your majesty."

I nodded. I clicked the horse's reins. I led the army out of the city. Once out of the city, I set off at a fast gallop. The army followed. If we were going to end this, I wanted to do it as fast as possible. David caught up to me and said something but I was too focused to hear what he said.

He rode closer and spoke again. "Felix, slow down."

I looked behind me and the army was far behind. "Oh, shit."

I pulled on the horse's reins and it slowed down. David slowed down as well. "Felix, there's no rush. We're going to meet sooner or later."

David and I stopped. We waited for the army to catch up.  Timothy was the first to meet us. "Your majesty." The three of us started to trot as the army caught up.

"I don't know what we're going to do after the war is over." I said.

"Hopefully, it'll be peaceful for a while." David said.

"I don't know if that's going to happen, lad." Timothy said. "There's always problems."

"Why is the army is marching if Lennox is captured?" I asked.

"One of his generals has to be leading." David said.

"We should see them soon." Timothy said.

"I feel bad for Riley, his entire family is in Lennox's army." That's when the other officers and General caught up with us.

"Your majesty, don't pity me. Your father is dead. Mine won't be, hopefully." Riley said.

"Riley! Be respectful." General Ellsworth said.

"It's fine, General." I said. That's when an arrow flew by my head. "I think we've found the army." We rode faster in the direction of the arrow. After a few minutes, I saw the army, it was only half the size of our army. They were waiting for us. I saw a familiar face. "Jack Horton. The richest man in Plaidan."

"Felix Davenward. The son of a commoner and the poorest noble in Plaidan. How did a half-blood like you become king?"

"Every noble family starts out as commoners and half-bloods. At least my family earned their fortune by their own hands and not the labor of the poor." I spoke to the army. "If you join the crown, I can guarantee a spot in the royal army. I can even guarantee knighthood for a select few. Just join the crown."

No one moved. "It's seems loyalty is worth more than words." Jack said.

"David, see if you can do anything."

"Almost all of you should know who I am. And I started out as a commoner. I wouldn't blindly follow anyone. I trust the king with my life and I know you do too, you just need a little assurance." David said. The army responded by firing an arrow into his chest. He fell off of his horse. The archers retaliated and all of them fired at once at the army. They took out a majority of them. Everyone else started to fight. The General shouted, "Take all the rebel nobles as prisoners!"

I jumped off my horse and ran over to David. The arrow pierced his armor. He was bleeding but the arrow stopped most of it. I broke off the end and left the rest. I bandaged him up and tried to wake him. It took a couple of tries but he did wake up. "David." I pulled him up. "Are you alright?"

"I think so." He pulled out his sword. "Let's finish this."

I pulled out my swords. David and I ran into the fray. We tried to avoid the nobles and focus on the soldiers. The other officers were fighting the nobles and doing a fairly good job of capturing them. We rounded up the nobles fairly quickly and once we had the nobles, the rest of the army surrendered.

"Your majesty, what are we doing with the rest?" General Ellsworth asked.

"Round them up."

"Yes, your majesty." The knights bound up the soldiers and put them on the prisoner carts with the nobles.

"General, how many did we lose?"

"None. The archers took out the majority and the nobles weren't skilled enough to stop this. Some of our soldiers are injured but not majorly. The only one who is, is David."

"Speaking of, where is he?"

"Being restrained until he calms down." I looked over and he was being restrained by Timothy and Riley. He was bleeding more than he was before.

"We need to patch him up soon." David looked over and stopped struggling. Riley and Timothy stopped restraining him. David struggled to stand on his own. I rushed over and helped him stand. I helped him over to the doctor. I removed his armor.

The doctor quickly came over and took him. "The fighting dislodged the arrow." The doctor removed the arrow. "It was a clean cut, which means it will be easier to stitch and heal." He stitched him up quickly. "He should be fine. But, keep him out of the fight for a while."

I put his armor in a sack. I put him on my shoulders and carried him to the knight cart. I sat him down and sat next to him. Everyone packed up. A archer handed me David's armor. David was still unconscious. We started moving.

_**A few hours later...** _

When we got back to the city David finally regained consciousness the barracks. He groaned and sat up. "What..."

"You're finally awake." I lit a candle.

"Did we win?"

"Yes. You were shot in the chest by an archer."

He looked at his chest. "I don't remember any of it." He fell back.

"You need to rest. You're out of the battle until you heal."

"What?! No..." He shot back up and tried to get up.

"David, we have the nobles. There's no one we need to battle." I forced him back into bed.

"We still need to find Markus."

"Once everything is settled with the nobles, we'll start looking. But for now you need to rest." I stood up.

David sighed. "At least let me heal in the castle."

"Fine." I helped him up. I helped him get dressed.

We walked out of the barracks. The knights were doing their daily duties. We walked out of the fort and headed for the castle. People moved for us. When we got to the castle, General Ellsworth was moving the rebels into the castle. "Your majesty, what would you have us do with the rebels?"

"They're castle servants now. The soldiers will join the royal army."

"There's 15 nobles. All of them are servants now?"

"Yes." David and I went to my bedroom. I laid him down. "Now, stay here. I have to oversee the prisoners."


	12. Chapter 12

I walked out and closed the door behind me. I walked over to General Ellsworth. They were still bringing in the rebels. "General, has Riley seen his family?"

"No, he didn't want to. His family tried to see him but he refused."

"He'll see them enough when he's here."

"Felix, we have to talk about your marriage situation." The General lowered his voice so only I could hear him. "I know you and David are together, but you need to marry Catherine. I know you hate each other. You need to produce an heir. I know I'm just a general, but I had to encourage King James to do so too. He wasn't particularly attracted any of the nobles until he met your aunt. Just learn to deal with each other."

I sighed. "She lives in the city doesn't she?"

"She does. In the mansion."

"Wait here."

I walked out of the castle. I walked out of the courtyard and headed towards the Memores mansion. I knew her family would make her marry me even if she didn't want to. I got to the mansion and knocked on the door. A servant opened it. "King Felix." He bowed.

"Is Catherine home?"

"Yes. I'll go get her. Please come in."

I walked in. Her mother saw me when I walked in. "Your majesty. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage." I put my hands behind my back.

"Catherine?"

"Yes."

"Elijah!" She shouted.

"Krysten, what the problem?" Catherine's father walked in. He looked at me. "King Felix, to what do we owe the pleasure?"

"He wants to marry Catherine."

"Really? I know our families didn't get along so this is a surprise."

"Well, to be honest sir, your family is the only noble house left. All the others have been captured."

Just then Catherine walked in with her servant. "Felix?" She came over to me.

"Yes." I took her hand and kissed it.

"You're here because you want to marry me. As I recall we didn't get along very well."

"Our families forced us together. Now that I'm king, I was hoping that we could give it another chance, on our own terms."

Her parents and servant left us. "I know that the other houses were captured. And you're only marrying me because I'm the only one your age." She looked closely at my face. "But, you are quite handsome and I did always love knights in shining armor."

"I'm glad you see things the way I see them. So Catherine, will you marry me?"

"I will." I lifted her to my height and kissed her. It was a slightly awkward but I don't think she cared.

I put her down and she ran to her parents. There was excited talking and some shouting. Her parents came in. "We're so glad that you decided to marry our daughter."

Catherine came in with her 6 siblings. They were all younger than her and running around, excited. The oldest, Matthew, spoke. He seemed to be about fifteen. "Your majesty, please take good care of my sister."

I shook his hand. "I promise I will."

The rest of them are significantly younger than us. They were between three and eleven. All of them are boys. They started to hug my legs. "You four, leave the king be." Elijah commanded. They let go.

"Catherine, shall we head back to the castle?" I offered her my hand. She took it.

"Of course."

"I'll have castle staff gather your things." We walked out of her mansion.

"Felix, I don't know why I never liked you. You are polite and charming. I guess with our families pushing us towards each other, I grew a hatred for you."

"I understand. I didn't really enjoy your company before. Now that we're on the same page, it's a different story."

We walked and talked. When we got to the castle, General Ellsworth was waiting for us. "Your majesty and Catherine. I see you've already asked her."

"We're going to try. I think without our parents around we'll get along." Catherine said.

"Speaking of that, my mother is staying with us in the castle." I said.

"Oh?"

"Since my father died, she's been lonely. I promise that she won't interfere with anything. She'll be here within the week."

"It's fine."

There were heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. It was David. "I thought I told you that you need to rest." I said.

"Felix, why is Catherine here?" He asked.

I pulled him aside. I spoke quietly. "We're getting married, that's why she's here. You knew that this would happen. Why are you surprised?"

"She doesn't know about us, does she?" David said quieter than I did.

"No, I might tell her. It depends on her religion. Even then she's not going to take it well."

"Take her aside now and tell her. The sooner the better." He walked over to General Ellsworth and started to talk to him.

"Catherine, come here." She walked over. "There's something I really need to tell you, but I don't know how." I said quietly.

"You're going to tell me that you love David. I already knew."

"How?"

"I had a suspicion. Just now, when you said that he needs to rest, you had more than a look of brotherly love. A king wouldn't fuss over a single knight unless there was more to their relationship, even if you were brothers-in-arms before. Felix, I know you marrying me is a front to keep suspicion away from you and David. I'm fine with that, as long as you try with our marriage."

I sighed. A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. "Thank Markus. I will try."

She hugged me. "By the way, I completely understand, David's very attractive." She let go.

"Hey, what about me?" I said jokingly.

"I told you that I love knights in shining armor."

"That makes two of us." We both laughed.

David came over. "I see everything's going well.

"It is." Catherine said.

General Ellsworth came over. "I sent for the archcleric while you were out. You two will be married in a few hours. First, Catherine needs a new dress. " A servant appeared. "Take Catherine to the tailor."

"Yes sir." The servant guided Catherine to the tailor.

"Now on to Felix. I think your royal suit is enough. But you need to bathe. I'll have the servants draw you a bath and clean your suit."

"Why are you in charge of the wedding?" I asked.

"The general of the military is always in charge of the royal wedding. It's tradition."

A few servants appeared to collect me. They ushered me into the washroom. They took my armor off then my royal suit. I quickly moved into the bath and they started to bathe me.

\--

After the bath, the servants presented me with my cleaned royal suit. They left the room to let me get dressed. I quickly put my suit on. I walked out and David was standing there. He was in the outfit he wore to my party. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore, but otherwise fine." He said. He got closer and lowered his voice. "I wish I was the one marrying you."

"I do too. But, it's not the time. Right now is the time to fix the kingdom."

We walked to the throne room. We bumped into Catherine's family. "Your majesty." Elijah said. He bowed. His family was dressed up. "Is your mother coming?"

"I don't think she'll be here in time, which I'm upset about, but everything's moving very quickly so it hard to catch up."

"That's a shame. I was hoping that we would be able to talk." He said.

"She'll be here in a few days so, you could talk to her then."

"Felix?" Someone behind us said. We turned around. It was my mother. Some servants took her bags and she ran up the stairs.

"How did you get here in 2 days?"

"I didn't. I left for the capital a week ago."

"But, you were sent a letter about me being crowned king."

"I got it. Royal couriers are quick. I didn't know you were getting married."

"I am. To Catherine."

"Oh...Felix, I need to talk with you. Privately."

We walked away from the group. She spoke quietly. "Felix, you're marrying Catherine?"

"Yes." I said.

"But, you and David."

"We can't get married. I'm king. I know some people like us have gotten married but, a king and a knight can't marry each other."

"So, do you like Catherine?"

"We're both figuring that out. She knows about me and David. She doesn't care; she just wants me to try with our marriage."

We walked back to the group. The were chatting amongst themselves. "When is the wedding starting?" Krysten asked.

"Whenever Catherine's dress is done and the archcleric arrives." I said.

"How many people are going to be here?" Elijah asked.

"General Ellsworth invited the whole city so, it could as many as the castle can hold." David said.

"The whole city?" I asked.

"You don't sound excited about that." David said. "I don't think the entire city will show."

"I hope not."

The five of us talked for a while we waited. The other officers showed up. Lika and Riley were in dress clothes while Timothy was in his armor. All of them, including David, had a weapon on them.

"Why do the four of you have your swords?" I asked.

"You never know." Riley said.

"You're Riley Keenan, correct?" Elijah asked.

I had never heard Riley's surname before. My family and his were close.

"It's Sir Riley of Morive. I renounced my heritage."

"I've heard. I understand why as well." Elijah said. He sounded surprisingly sympathetic.

The hall got quiet. The eight of us turned around. General Ellsworth, the archcleric, and Catherine walked out into the hall. Elijah and Krysten ran down to her. The rest of us followed.

"I thought the bride and groom weren't supposed to see each other on their wedding day?" Lila said.

"Well, we already saw each other earlier. And I'm not superstitious." I said. I walked up to Catherine. "You look lovely."

"Thank you. You look very handsome." She responded.

The archcleric interjected. "Will you two please head to the throne room?"

The two of us locked arms and walked upstairs.

 


End file.
